Hong Kong could detail plans to end hotel quarantine for inbound travelers in a move designed to trumpet the financial hub’s revival
The announcement could come as soon as this week with arrivals instead required to undergo self-monitoring for seven days, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people. The implementation date is undecided as it will affect existing operations for the airline and hotel industries, it said.
Hong Kong, along with mainland China, has kept in place some of the strictest Covid measures in the world even as most countries in the region drop restrictions and open borders to travelers.
With people arriving in the financial hub forced to spend three days in a designated hotel followed by four days of restrictions from bars and restaurants, questions have been raised about whether visitors will come to a proposed banker summit and the iconic Rugby Sevens tournament later this year.
“Ideally if we can do this by November – zero days of quarantine – it will be very much helpful for us to organize these huge events,” said Holden Chow, a lawmaker and vice chairman of the largest political party in Hong Kong’s legislature. “Our final goal is to reach zero days, so they could also do it on a step-by-step or gradual basis.”
