“They have been isolated and treated and there have been no similar variants found locally,” she said.

However, the health department later clarified the pair did not have XE. Professor Leo Poon Lit-man from the University of Hong Kong told the Post that it was another recombinant of the two Omicron subvariants and it was first detected by HKU.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published preliminary findings on Tuesday that the XE recombinant was first detected in Britain on January 19, and so far more than 600 genetic samples were confirmed to carry the strain. The WHO said its early findings still needed to be confirmed.

Chuang said: “Some countries have found recombinant variants, this is also closely monitored by the WHO. The transmissibility and the severity of this recombinant variant are still being investigated, and we will closely monitor the situation.”

As part of the battle against the fifth wave of infections, the government is due to distribute an anti-epidemic kit pack to 3 million households from Saturday. Each kit will include 20 masks, 20 rapid tests, two boxes of proprietary traditional Chinese medicine, a pamphlet from the CHP and a greeting card.

Arriving from Manila on Friday morning, Filipino Giselle Giorgia landed at Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in three years to visit her relatives.

“I had plans to come here since December last year and it has been delayed until now,” she told the media. “It was very very expensive, it cost me and my family thousands of dollars.”

Hong Kong to lift flight bans, cut quarantine stays; 14,068 new Covid cases

Since the pandemic began more than two years ago, Hong Kong residents have been effectively grounded by a mix of travel bans and some of the world’s strictest quarantine policies, with arrivals forced to isolate for as long as 21 days at one point.

WWPKG Package Tours has taken advantage of the relaxed travel curbs to roll out five mini-outbound tours lasting about 10 to 14 days for a minimum of two people per tour at a cost of HK$23,000 to HK$35,000. The destinations include Thailand, Japan, eastern Europe and western Europe.

“As long as travellers fulfil the vaccination requirements of their destinations, they can join our mini-tours. But they need to book a hotel room to undergo quarantine upon their return to Hong Kong,” said Yuen Chun-ning, executive director of WWPKG. “We will be adding more destinations to our mini-tours.”

Hong Kong resident Fiona Rothman*, 34, a South African native, told the Post that as soon as she learned that the travel restrictions would be eased, she booked flights to Bali for herself and her husband for their delayed honeymoon.

The couple, who got married in December, plan to spend 11 days from April 29 on the Indonesian resort island and have also booked their seven-night stay at a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong when they return.

“We desperately need a holiday for our mental health, as being in one place without being able to travel for two years has taken its toll,” said Rothman, who works in marketing and is triple-vaccinated.

Despite their eagerness to go, she and her husband, a 38-year-old Indian national working in IT, said they were worried they might end up stranded in Indonesia if their flight back was suspended.

Coronavirus: Hong Kong to cut 14-day flight suspension rule to 7

The government will also revise its mechanism for suspending airlines that bring in passengers or crew infected with Covid-19 from Friday. Airlines will be barred for seven days from a flight route if three or more people on board test positive, having previously faced a 14-day suspension if four or more cases were detected.

Health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee said there was a need to keep the mechanism in place, citing past experiences of passengers who tested negative before boarding but were found to be positive upon arrival.

“We will need some sort of mechanism to prevent further burden to our healthcare system brought by imported cases,” Chan said on Friday, noting the government would continue to monitor epidemic situations overseas and locally and see if there is any room to adjust the measures.

Wishing that Hong Kong would do away completely with suspending flights, Rothman said: “The stress of the holiday being cancelled because of this is definitely suppressing our excitement. It’s a game of luck, which is sad.”

She took the precaution of booking flexible tickets for flights and chose a hotel that allowed for cancellations, but expected she could lose about HK$4,000 (US$511) in flight cancellation fees and pre-booked Covid-19 tests.

Others eager to travel were taking a more cautious approach, checking for flights and accommodation over the summer, while keeping their fingers crossed that Hong Kong would not tighten its rules suddenly.

A 32-year-old Hongkonger surnamed Choi said she was planning a two-week trip to France and Italy and had already made a seven-night quarantine booking from May 22 to 29.

An office manager who used to travel at least once or twice a year before the pandemic, Choi said life in Hong Kong had become “very depressing” with the strict travel curbs.

“The policies and entry requirements in other places, such as Europe, America and elsewhere in Asia have been relaxed, but it’s all still very strict in Hong Kong,” she said.

But Choi stopped short of booking her flights to Europe as ticket prices have risen sharply.

“The return trip to Hong Kong is about HK$7,000 to HK$8,000 with transfers in the Middle East. There are also fewer flights in Paris and London, which costs HK$8,000 to HK$9,000 for a one-way ticket,” she said.

Like others hoping to travel, Choi said she was worried that Hong Kong might make sudden policy changes that would mess up her plans.

“Flights might be banned a day before I come back to Hong Kong, and my efforts to find hotel rooms and flights will be wasted,” she said. “I’ll then have to book all over again, which will add to the cost.”

For Nicholas*, 41, a teacher from Britain who has been in Hong Kong for just over two years, said he hoped to spend his two-month summer break in Indonesia or the Philippines.

But he was taking a “wait-and-see” approach, preparing to make his travel bookings in June for a solo trip that will cost around HK$20,000.

“I’m hoping, probably unwisely, that quarantine might be ditched entirely by the summer,” he said. “I’m desperate to have a break. It’s extremely lonely being stuck here.”

Dutch native Dennis Philipse, 49, who has lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, started making plans as soon as he learned that the compulsory quarantine period for arriving travellers would be halved to seven days.

“I just need a break from Hong Kong life to recharge and find new inspiration or opportunities,” said the ultra trail runner and founder of the Hong Kong Gay Games, which was postponed for a year because of the pandemic.

Philipse said he hoped to travel to Singapore in early April before taking off from there for Cambodia, Vietnam or Thailand.

Michael Tang Wing-man, 48, who works in supply chain management, said he was hoping to travel to Vancouver, Canada, in July to help his son settle into university.

His family of four was also considering a holiday in Canada and the United States, and he was monitoring the prices of airline tickets before making his bookings in May.

He said he was “70 per cent” sure their trip would happen, but added: “If there are last-minute changes I will just have to deal with them. But if the changes are severe, we may just cancel the trip.”

* Names changed at interviewee’s request

Additional reporting by Cannix Yau and Elizabeth Cheung