Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government, made the announcement at a press conference on April 12th to introduce a number of new entry polices. "Retrun2hk" scheme plans to be launched in mid-May
Mrs. Lam said that the Hong Kong SAR Government plans to launch the travel scheme in mid-May to allow Hong Kong residents in the Mainland to come to Hong Kong without the 14-day compulsory quarantine. Under the media reporter's inquiry, Mrs. Lam said, "Return2hk" scheme has no vaccination requirements, but need to present the proof of a valid negative nucleic acid test result upon arrival in Hong Kong."Return2hk" extended to Guangdong and other mainland provincesMrs. Lam said the SAR Government intends to extend the scheme from Guangdong province to other places in the Mainland at the end of April. By then, eligible Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong, whether through cross-boundary ports or the Hong Kong International Airport, can be exempted from the 14-day mandatory quarantine. Previously, Hong Kong residents who meet the relevant conditions from Guangdong province and Macau back to Hong Kong can be exempted from the 14-day mandatory quarantine under the "Return2HK" scheme.Relaxation testing on vaccinated cross-boundary trucks driversMrs. Lam also said that it has been agreed by the Guangdong Provincial Government that the arrangement that truck drivers crossing the border from Hong Kong to the Mainland must undergo daily testing for the coronavirus will be relaxed to one test every three days after the drivers have completed vaccination (completion of vaccination means two doses of vaccination and 14 days after antibody production).Mr. Chan Fan, Secretary for Transport and Housing of the Hong Kong SAR Government, added at the press conference that there are 11,000 eligible cross-border drivers in Hong Kong, of which more than 7,000 are active drivers, and so far 6,600 have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and about 5,300 have received two doses of the vaccine, and the overall vaccination progress is good. He noted that details are being discussed with the Guangdong Government to provide more cross-border convenience for drivers who have completed vaccination.Further relaxation of entry restrictionsIn addition, the SAR Government plans to further relax the entry restrictions, arrivals from low-risk areas including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, if they have completed vaccination, the mandatory quarantine period can be reduced from the current 14 days to 7 days or less. For arrivals from medium-risk areas, the mandatory quarantine period can be reduced from the current 21 days to 14 days or less after completion of vaccination. Hong Kong residents who have completed vaccination can participate in the "travel bubble" set up by the Hong Kong SAR Government in consultation with overseas governments or foreign governments' initiative to provide travelers with a reduced quarantine period for travel and business activities.Mrs. Lam also said that the Hong Kong SAR Government has arranged for designated flights back to Hong Kong from London, England, in addition to the plan to relax the restrictions on boarding from the United Kingdom to Hong Kong in early May, but still subject to the coronavirus testing and mandatory quarantine for 21 days after arriving in Hong Kong.
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