Opinion | If Hong Kong’s 21-day coronavirus quarantine must remain, let’s make it less painful
- The city’s demanding restrictions on returning residents have disrupted plans and imposed a mental and financial strain on many. More should be done to make Hongkongers comfortable and healthy in quarantine, and ensure hotels are affordable
I sympathise with the Hongkongers whose plans have been upended by the government’s recent change in quarantine and entry regulations.
People have been contacting me to recount their stressful experiences trying to get home. Some were actually in the air on their way to Hong Kong when the new measures took effect. They had to scramble to try and extend their quarantine hotel reservations upon landing.
Since the government’s sudden announcement caught hotel management by surprise, many guests ended up without rooms, at least in the hotels where they had originally planned to stay.
Hundreds of other residents remain stranded in the UK. Some are even travelling to third countries to spend 21 days there so that they can then continue on to Hong Kong. Once they do arrive, they must spend an additional 21 days in hotel quarantine, making this a long and expensive 42-day journey.
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Coronavirus: Hong Kong extends hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals to 21 days
Hong Kong is not alone in imposing controls on returning residents during the Covid-19 crisis. Australia, for instance, has weekly quotas for all incoming travellers, visitors and residents alike. We can all agree this isn’t optimal. Our priority should be getting our people home.
