Coronavirus: scenes of joy at airport as Hong Kong welcomes first arrivals under ‘0+3’ no-quarantine scheme
- Hong Kong Airlines delays predawn flight just to allow passengers to land past 6am when eased measures take effect
- Travellers say arrival process smooth, but they hope to see ‘0+0’ plan soon
Hong Kong on Monday morning welcomed its first batch of arrivals from overseas who no longer have to undergo hotel quarantine, with the city lifting its tough Covid-19 pandemic regime after more than two years of efforts to keep out the coronavirus.
Passengers were seen hugging loved ones amid touching scenes of reunion at the airport before 7am. About nine travellers were among the first to enter the arrival hall, fresh off a flight from Taipei and headed home or to their hotels without having to wait for Covid-19 test results.
Most inbound travellers were residents or expatriates returning for work, or people visiting family in the city. Forty-six flights were set to land in Hong Kong on Monday, with one airline delaying its scheduled arrival time so passengers could qualify for the non-quarantine measures, which took effect from 6am.
Simon Ha, a 58-year-old tour guide returning from Taiwan, said: “I bought my tickets yesterday upon hearing about the ‘0+3’ arrangement. It was very last minute and I bought this flight because it was cheap.” He was referring to the new scheme under which arrivals only need to undergo three days of home medical surveillance with limited citywide movement.
Ha said airline staff only asked for a photo of his pre-departure rapid antigen test (RAT) results at Taipei airport.
He added that he had saved a lot of money and time under the new arrangement, including nearly HK$1,000 (US$127) for a pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which has been waived under the new policy.
