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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaHealth & Environment

Hongkongers rue cost – and irony – of ‘washouts’ to return to Covid-zero city battling wave of local Omicron infections

  • Flight bans have forced people to detour to countries like Fiji, Singapore and Malaysia for a period of time before returning Hong Kong
  • Of late, online communities trading travel tips have faced toxic criticism over the choice of Singapore as a pitstop

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General view of Hong Kong International Airport with many flights being cancelled. Photo: SCMP/ Dickson Lee
Dewey Sim
Peter Davies, a Hong Kong resident, travelled to Hawaii over Christmas last year to spend time with his Britain-based family, but soon found himself caught in a web of flight cancellations and logistical challenges that would keep him away from home.
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His initial plan to depart the American island on January 8 was derailed when the Hong Kong government banned flights from eight countries, including Australia, Britain, and the United States due to a surge in Covid-19 Omicron cases. On Friday, the government extended the ban to March 4 and added Nepal to the list.

The ban in January caught the 56-year-old businessman off guard, and left him, like many others, stranded abroad. Davies had to scramble for alternative plans to return home.

That forced a growing number of people to do what is referred to as a “washout”, where they would spend 14 days (or 21 days as per previous rules) in a country that is not on the banned list before flying to Hong Kong. They would then serve a mandatory period of hotel quarantine, and be released only after clearing a series of PCR tests.

Davies chose Fiji as his “washout” location but near the end of the two weeks, he found out his flight provider, Fiji Airways suspended operations to the city.

He would eventually fly to Singapore, where he spent three days, before finally landing in Hong Kong on Thursday. “It’s become like the Amazing Race,” he quipped.

#Washout

“Washing out” has been popularised to the extent that even the Hong Kong government itself has tacitly endorsed it, using the term on its list of frequently-asked questions on what qualifies as a “washout” period. Last year, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council – a statutory board which promotes trade and investments – published a first-person piece by a contributor who had done her “washout” in Dubai, advising others on the process.

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