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Hong Kong is preparing to change its quarantine rules. Photo: Nora Tam

Coronavirus: resuming cross-border travel high on Hong Kong agenda as city eases quarantine rules for fully jabbed residents, travellers

  • Announcing much-sought-after easing, Carrie Lam reveals Hong Kong initiated talks with Macau authorities and will also approach central government
  • Quarantine reduction from 14 days to seven will cover places classified as ‘high risk’ or lower including Canada, Japan, Britain, Singapore and the US

Key points:

• Quarantine period for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from lower-risk countries or places will be reduced to seven days if they test negative for the virus and positive for antibodies, starting from June 30 at the earliest

• Restaurants where staff have been fully vaccinated and with at least two-thirds of customers having received at least one dose of vaccine can operate at full capacity

• More people per table or room will be allowed in bars, pubs, party rooms and karaoke lounges

• More people will also be allowed to join religious gatherings, wedding ceremonies, business meetings and local tours. Events can run at full capacity if at least two-thirds of attendees have received first vaccine dose

• Discussions on relaxed travel rules with Macau authorities have started; talks with mainland China will also begin

Mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated arrivals to Hong Kong from lower-risk places who test positive for coronavirus antibodies will be halved to seven days from June 30, starting with the city’s residents, as the government also looks to have travel rules to mainland China and Macau relaxed.

Announcing the much-sought-after easing of such curbs that had cast a pall on business, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Monday said Hong Kong had initiated talks with the authorities in Macau. The city would also be in touch with the central government, she said, to ease cross-border travel to the mainland, which had been blocked for almost 1½ years.

Hong Kong considering easing quarantine restrictions for the fully vaccinated, commerce chief tells China Conference

Following a video meeting with their Hong Kong counterparts on Monday, Macau authorities said arrivals from the city could be exempted from quarantine arrangements if 28 days of zero local infections were attained, with the plan to be introduced in phases and using set quotas.

The Hong Kong government also announced the further relaxation from Thursday of social-distancing restrictions in venues such as restaurants, bars and pubs, and for events ranging from religious gatherings and wedding ceremonies to local tours.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Photo: AP

More people will be allowed at those occasions, and some venues can operate at full capacity if two-thirds of attendees have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

The measures were announced as Hong Kong marked the 14th straight day of zero local cases, which Lam described at an afternoon press conference as a “remarkable day”, even as the city recorded three imported infections, involving two arrivals from Britain and one from Indonesia.

On the staggered easing, health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee told the press: “Taking reference from international experience, if we relax all social-distancing measures at once, it could quickly lead to a rebound of the epidemic situation.”

Lam said the reduced quarantine would be introduced in two phases. To be eligible, travellers would need to be fully vaccinated for at least 14 days, test negative for the virus and positive for antibodies.

“The first phase will be suitable for Hong Kong residents. If they have been vaccinated with two doses, they can go to a recognised lab or private hospital to undergo a serology test to prove they are positive [for antibodies],” Lam said, referring to preparations needed before travelling.

“If that Hong Kong resident comes back within three months [of the test], and presents the positive serology test result … they can then spend seven days in a quarantine hotel.”

The scheme is expected to begin on June 30 at the earliest, with officials also aiming to start the second phase, targeting non-residents who will need to take an antibody test upon arrival, within the next month.

Study finds ‘substantial’ antibody-level difference between BioNTech, Sinovac jab takers

The government will also introduce serology testing as one of the requirements for quarantine exemptions for qualified people in the financial sector and listed companies.

Lam said travellers would need to have blood drawn while waiting for their Covid-19 test result at the airport. If they tested negative for the virus, they could then head to their quarantine hotel, where they would be notified about the serology test results the next day. If they tested positive for antibodies, they could leave the hotel after seven days.

Government pandemic advisers earlier said testing for antibodies could indicate whether international arrivals had been vaccinated and also help identify false negative cases.

The arrangement will cover travellers arriving from countries classified as high-risk, or group B, and medium-risk group C under the city’s five-tier system for assessing the overseas Covid-19 threat, according to a government statement. Taiwan, which has not officially been included in group B but faces the same entry requirements, is also covered by the change.

Group B currently has 29 countries including Canada, Japan, Britain, Singapore and the United States.

Medium-risk places are all those outside China that are not classified in any other group.

The government said a list of recognised laboratories providing serology testing, and details of such services at the airport, would be announced in due course. Travellers must bear the cost of the test.

Lam said she had told the tourism commissioner to begin talks with the hospitality sector so hotel guests allowed to leave quarantine after seven days would not be charged for the full 14-day booking, adding such “flexibility” was likely to be agreed.

However, she did not specify the minimum level of antibodies required for travellers, saying it would be a question for her scientific experts.

The Post exclusively reported on Saturday that a government-commissioned study revealed some residents who received the Sinovac vaccine had “substantially” lower amounts of antibodies than those jabbed with the BioNTech version.

“It happens that I have gone through an antibody test and I am positive … I took Sinovac as you know, and I was told [my antibody level] would be very, very adequate,” she said.

Asked if children who were ineligible for vaccination would be covered under the scheme, officials said they would continue to study the possibility and come up with a response later.

“This is one of the fine details we have to examine and come to a position on,” Lam said.

Children as young as 12 can book German-made BioNTech shots under the city’s vaccination programme. The China-made Sinovac jab is only available to those aged 18 or above.

Young children who cannot be vaccinated must serve the entire hotel quarantine when returning from abroad, even if their parents are eligible for a reduced stay. They may choose to stay with their children for the mandatory quarantine period.

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung supported the idea of setting a minimum threshold for antibody levels, saying it would ensure different testing tools delivered consistent results.

With around 50 to 60 tests for detecting coronavirus antibodies, Ho said, a person with low levels could test positive in one but negative in another.

“If a certain level is selected [as the minimum threshold], we can be confident different testing labs can also deliver positive results,” Ho said.

But Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a government pandemic adviser, said setting a level would not be necessary.

“The figure itself is not too meaningful, as there is no data suggesting a person will only be protected [from infection] by having an antibody level above a certain threshold,” he said.

The two experts also said self-testing kits available in pharmacies were not accurate enough to use, and it was unlikely results from them would be accepted for travel.

03:02

Returnees fight cabin fever during mandatory 21-day hotel quarantine in Hong Kong

Returnees fight cabin fever during mandatory 21-day hotel quarantine in Hong Kong

With the relaxation of social-distancing rules from Thursday, restaurants operating under a “type C” arrangement – meaning staff have received at least one vaccine dose and all customers use the “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app – can bump up their seating capacity to 75 per cent from the current 50 per cent.

“Type D” restaurants – where staff are fully vaccinated and customers have received at least one dose – can run at full capacity, with the maximum number of patrons per table increased to 12 from eight and up to 180 people allowed for a banquet.

For bars and pubs, the number of customers per table can be increased to four from two, while up to eight people will be allowed at each room or table in a party room or karaoke lounge.

The capacity at religious gatherings, wedding ceremonies and business meetings can also be boosted to 50 per cent without any change in conditions, and to 100 per cent if at least two-thirds of attendees had received a first vaccine shot. A similar capacity relaxation will also apply to local tours.

Pressed on why her administration kept the public gathering cap at four people, Lam insisted she was not targeting protests and political activities, explaining she needed to take into account law enforcement considerations, such as checking vaccination status, which would be easier for organisers of indoor events.

Hui believed the relaxation of social-distancing measures was likely to encourage more people to come forward for vaccination, and businesses and retailers also largely welcomed the move. But at least one representative of the restaurant sector said the change was “conservative”.

Additional reporting by Chan Ho-him and Gigi Choy

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Half the time in quarantine for the vaccinated
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