Hong Kong to reduce quarantine to 7 and open up to non residence

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 48 total)

  • DavidGrodentz
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1105551]

    Martyn

    The green status for HK versus the 21 day quarantine for the UK looks spot on.

    HK, in over a month, has had one local case, and a manageable number of imported cases, all picked up by the quarantine arrangements that exist here

    The UK, on the other hand, has daily cases running in the tens of thousands

    Although, I agree that adding HK to the Green List is rather pointless, as who would travel from HK unless they really needed to. And UK citizens cannot come to HK anyway, unless they are HK residents, and would have to face the quarantine arrangements

    As a UK citizen living in HK, I would love to visit the UK to catch up with family and friends, but I’m not prepared to do 21 days in quarantine on my return

    A short while ago, it looked like 7 days was going to be the new quarantine rule, which is doable, until Delta reared it’s ugly head


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Thank you cwoodward and DavidGrodentz for your comments.

    [quote quote=1105561]but I’m not prepared to do 21 days in quarantine on my return[/quote]

    I don’t think many people are willing to undertake the above. One of my HKG clients recently had 2 domestic staff caught in the drastic 21 day quarantine and not at a western hotel. One lasted the 21 days whilst the other had mental problems after a few days & was transferred away from the place of quarantine.

    I am asking only as a business traveller – but you both mention that HKG has had only one local case for a number of weeks. Is it your view (non medical of course) that HKG borders will remain firmly shut, until the authorities are confident that travellers will not arrive with any form of covid infection? If that is the view, I can not see the HKG borders fully reopening for a good number of years, especially as “some” HKG residents appear not too eager to take the vaccine.

    You are right about the high number of infections in the UK, the last 5 days running at over 30,000 per day. My son went to Wembley on Sunday and a few of his unvaccinated friends have now unsurprisingly tested positive (none though currently in any form of life threatening state). My son is double jabbed and has taken daily tests since (all negative, thus far).

    I live in north London, an eclectic mix of cultures, races, religions, vaccinated, unvaccinated and those that feel it is their right to choose not to wear a mask on the underground. In the main, the majority are going about their business using common sense and the vast majority are remaining safe. My only cancelled meeting in the last few weeks is a boiler repair that has had to be delayed due to the engineer’s unvaccinated wife (an NHS worker) testing positive.

    Even with the current infection rate, life in the UK (even considering the UK’s interpretation of ‘border control’) is OPEN. The thought though, like many others, of NOT realistically being able to travel to jurisdictions that are taking such a hard line view, continues to frustrate my businesses chance of survival in the long term.

    From a non medical perspective, LIFE AND BUSINESS needs to be able to operate and not just for those with money or influence.

    From a non qualified medical perspective, it is very confusing to understand how different nations and different medical organizations take totally diverse and opposite views to covid 19, even down to acceptance of batch numbers of certain vaccines.

    Come on world OPEN UP – WORK TOGETHER – STAY SAFE

    5 users thanked author for this post.

    canucklad
    Participant

    [quote quote=1105585]Come on world OPEN UP – WORK TOGETHER – STAY SAFE[/quote]

    I wonder if you’ll be saying that same thing in another 18 months ?

    From a personal perspective I was originally a fan of HK’s open and transparent test and trace system . Selfishly I’ve now become agitated that the city has all nut shut it’s borders to visitors, and my optimism of returning soon has been dashed. Can’t even see me returning for the 7’s next year.

    It’s ironic that the countries that have applied the harshest restrictions at their borders , are now finding themselves isolated from the global community because they’ve not adopted a successful vaccination programme with their population. .

    [quote quote=1105585]You are right about the high number of infections in the UK, the last 5 days running at over 30,000 per day. My son went to Wembley on Sunday and a few of his unvaccinated friends have now unsurprisingly tested positive (none though currently in any form of life threatening state). My son is double jabbed and has taken daily tests since (all negative, thus far).[/quote]

    Are we covertly aiming for herd immunity ?


    ASK1945
    Participant

    [quote quote=1105585]Is it your view (non medical of course) that HKG borders will remain firmly shut, until the authorities are confident that travellers will not arrive with any form of covid infection? If that is the view, I can not see the HKG borders fully reopening for a good number of years, especially as “some” HKG residents appear not too eager to take the vaccine.[/quote]

    Martyn

    Thank you for your very perceptive overview. I do have a healthcare background. The simple fact is that viruses do not disappear – they are managed. Vaccination is a main way of managing them. If the HKG is waiting for Covid-19 to disappear it will never re-open their borders, which is clearly a nonsense. As a trading entity, pragmatically they will need to reopen their borders in less than a “good number of years”.

    You also wrote “In the main, the majority are going about their business using common sense”. I don’t disagree with that. However, a significant minority are not using common sense or obeying the rules. You and I live near Brent Cross, where shoppers are a good reflection of North London populations. I go there about once a week to a particular shop. In Brent Cross, a large number of attendees ignore social distancing rules, ignore mask rules, ignore the one-way system – in one case I saw someone move a one-way sign out of the way to get past, to walk against the general flow of foot traffic.

    This is not ignorance after 16 months of Covid rules, but wilful disobedience. This is what I worry about for after July 19th.


    FormerBA
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1105608]

    There is nothing covert about the willfully negligent approach. It has been policy since the start. “take it on the chin” “Covid Parties” “let it rip” are all utterances from government apparatchiks.

    While the young may not get seriously ill by being infected the risk transmitting it to those who can and th higher the infection level, the more hospitilisations, the higher the risk of death, not to mention pressure on other NHS services


    stevescoots
    Participant

    Not HK but more related to the quarantine time. I just finished 24 days quarantine in Vietnam this morning. They are in such a mess here now that people are having to stay longer as they cannot get papers for release. Having done 2 weeks twice in the past I can tell you that 3 weeks, plus another at home here is very hard to do. I am not really a social person so being on my own is not a big issue with a good regime and plenty of supplies! However, once they went into severe lockdown here in Saigon a week ago and all food and drink deliveries stopped it was tough living off the hotel food which frankly speaking I would have preferred a Y class BA meal every day not to mention every day past release day the uncertainty. I can see whya anyone who is used to being around others could well go into a depressed state
    To add to that they have shut down all business here in HSMC apart from food and medicine shops and unless you are agreeing to live at the company, work, eat sleep then you cannot go in. If this were our China factory, where I have a typical Chinese big boss office, bigger than most HK flats with its own bathroom and bed for naps it would not be too bad, I may even enjoy it. Unfortunately my Vn office is very small with no amenities. I am going to have to do it and plan to move in there for at least a week, get the urgent legal stuff done that needed me here in person but after that if the situation does not improve on restrictions then I will be getting on the big bird back to UK. No more quarantines for me, enough is enough.

    On the Hk issue I do understand why they are not having vaccine passports; my daughter is fully vaccinated (10 weeks apart from shots) and tested positive with symptoms 2 weeks ago in UK. Brought in by one of her kids from school. Until the masses become vaccinated or have antibodies from previous infection then I see no sign of opening up and anybody in govt saying other wise is just smoke and mirrors. Let us not forget those who make the decisions are not being impacted in any meaningful way by this, if anything life is better both politically and personally while the rest of the populations business and livelihoods are destroyed.

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    A couple of small steps forward this week that will be of assistance to some.
    Students under 21 from UK and I understand some other places will be allowed back into HK with no quarantine for the summer holidays
    and
    Leaked to the press yester but not yet announced.
    Fully vaccinated Hong Kong residence will soon be allowed to again enter Hong Kong without any quarantine requirement.
    I daresay that there will be some qualification as to what countries will qualify but at least UK -Europe-USA should be allowed.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Let’s hope. An Opinion piece from the Daily Telegraph

    Welcome to ‘green list’ Hong Kong, where Britons are banned and there’s a £1,000 mask fine

    Counterintuitively, the latest country to go green has some of the strictest entry requirements on Earth


    cwoodward
    Participant

    A sensationalist piece full of exaggerations and distortions that would sit better in the Daily Fail.
    Ed Peters is a (perhaps former) Hong Kong journalist who very clearly decided to put the boot into HK presumably to earn a dollar or two from a mainstream newspaper.
    Just to bring some reality back to the debate, over the past weeks arrivals from the UK on being tested have proved to be the most infected of all arriving passengers. Sneer he may but as someone who actually lives here I am very glad that UK arrivals are temporarily quarantined for 21 days.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=1105760]over the past weeks arrivals from the UK on being tested have proved to be the most infected of all arriving passengers[/quote]

    Have direct passenger flights restarted between LON and HKG or are those testing positive arriving into HKG via somewhere..?


    cwoodward
    Participant

    Martyn = ‘Via somewhere’ other than those granted special dispensation on the CX and BA direct daily flights (777 or A350 passenger aircraft) that pull up to the passenger terminal rather than the freight terminal on the other side of the tarmac -a lot of dispensations every day.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    canucklad
    Participant

    Noticed that Hong Kong now been added to the UK’s green list . Tremendous news if you live in HK, not so tremendous news if you live in the UK .
    I know that bilateral agreements / corridors are near nigh impossible to organize and agree on but surely adding a country should also come with a caveat that says , and in the case of HK , it’s still essentially a no go destination ? Unless of course you’re a returning resident !


    stevescoots
    Participant

    On a side note HKG was the busiest i have seen it since this mess started. the Wing was almost full and i had to hunt for a seat, looks like they have finished the updates inside but surprised still no shops open, not even a Duty free. My SGN to HKG flight was about half full, last time i took that flight in April there was 10 max passengers. the HKG to LHR flight was full as far as i could see, certainly J cabin was. Notably a lot of families and with HK still having an entry ban on anyone coming from UK my guess is the flight had a lot of one way tickets…..

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Been reading on various ex-pat blogs about the “21 day washout” for ex-uk travellers (and others) aiming to enter HKG. Does this make it a 42 day process now for ex UK passengers to enter HKG – or the “21 day washout”, not correct?


    DavidGrodentz
    Participant

    Hi Martin
    21 days / 22 nights ‘washout’ outside the UK, then whatever HK quarantine rules that apply for the country where the washout was done, either 14 or 21 days.

    If the antibody test is done in HK before departure to the UK, then quarantine can be reduced by 7 days

    The option to do the antibody test outside HK, or on arrival in HK is not yet available

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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