No more quarantine: Hong Kong visitors happy to find coronavirus travel rules eased
- First arrivals after pandemic rules changed on Monday make the most of ‘extra days’ to explore city
- No indication from first few days that more travellers are coming because restrictions have eased
Russian student Sophia Edifanova arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday, expecting to spend three days in quarantine in a hotel.
But the next day, she was free to explore the city, as Hong Kong eased its coronavirus rules for travellers, doing away with compulsory quarantine in a hotel.
“I went to Victoria Peak and the park near my hotel … it was really beautiful,” said the 19-year-old from Moscow who is headed to Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou.
The lack of direct flights between Russia and mainland China meant she had to spend three days flying first to Azerbaijan and then Qatar, before arriving in Hong Kong.
So she was grateful that the city switched to its “0+3” regime on Monday, requiring visitors to monitor themselves for Covid-19 for three days, at home or at a hotel, without compulsory quarantine. They are free to move about during the period of medical surveillance, but not allowed into some premises such as restaurants and bars.
The arrangement replaced the earlier “3+4” regime comprising three days of hotel quarantine followed by four days of medical surveillance at home.
The change, announced on September 23, did not result in an immediate surge in visitors.
