Hotel Quarantines Cut... Sort Of

Lee announced shorter quarantine times for travellers to HK

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced this morning Hong Kong time that hotel quarantines have been cut to three days and four days home monitoring from August 12. 

Local residents were thrilled to see the length of time stuck in a hotel room for no good reason will be shortened, but moaned that this would not entice visitors to come back anytime soon.

Those returning to Hong Kong from Friday will need to use the new health code, where if they test negative, they will be placed under a yellow code. This means they cannot visit places such as restaurants, bars, concerts and elderly care homes, but that if their rapid antigen test is negative, they can go about taking public transport, even go back to work(!) and shop for food or go to the shopping mall.

If person tests negative at airport, get yellow code

Once people have successfully completed this 3+4 arrangement, then their health code will turn blue. Strange that it's not green... And of course those who are infected with Covid-19 are red.

The several days of PCR tests will also continue...

The long-awaited coloured health code is going to be implemented, somewhat following what has already been implemented in China since near the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

There are fears that this health code will replace the dreaded LeaveHomeSafe app for the rest of Hong Kong's population and is yet another step in having Hong Kong further conform to the mainland. 

As soon as the shortened quarantine was announced, many were rejoicing, making it even more possible for them to travel again for the first time in over two years, but others still questioned the need to be stuck in a hotel room and paying out of pocket when the rest of the world does not have this regulation (except China and Macau).

Hong Kong health experts like Ben Cowling have said many times that the numbers of infected people coming into the city are so low that hospitals would be able to handle the case loads, and so there isn't a need to have hotel quarantines.

Quarantine hotels made money in pandemic

Perhaps three days was chosen as apparently for every 1,000 travellers coming into Hong Kong, 40 test positive for Covid within three days. And also the day you arrive is counted as Day zero, not Day 1.

Lee explained the government recommendations were based on scientific data, which showed travellers' risk level after three days "is no more than the risk level of transmission in society".

"Based on this analysis, we consider that the risk is under control, and balance it against the needs for other activities to take place. This new measure of '3+4' will be in the best interests of Hong Kong," he said.

"I must emphasise that during the fourth day of medical surveillance, there are also PCR checks, so we will know if there are any changes in risks."

In other words, if there are more infections found on the fourth day, hotel quarantines may be extended, but Lee said he would try his best not to roll back on measures.

Nevertheless, his ultimate goal is to reopen to the mainland, and Lee says he is trying to find ways to make it less inconvenient for people. China's current quarantine measures are 7+3.

In the meantime Hong Kong hoteliers must be annoyed at this new announcement, as those who converted their hotels for quarantine ones have raked in a lot of money these past two years. But surely they would want things to go back to normal too...