TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Hong Kong authorities have updated their restrictions on the entry of Taiwan arrivals for the second time in four days as the East Asian nation struggles to rein in the spread of the coronavirus, with another record day for local infections.
After Taiwan posted a record 29 local cases on Friday (May 14), the Hong Kong government announced that arrivals coming from Taiwan would have to remain at the airport until they test negative for the coronavirus.
Afterward, Taiwan arrivals would have to spend their compulsory quarantine at a designated hotel. Prior to Friday's announcement, passengers from Taiwan were allowed to spend their 14-day quarantine at home or at a hotel, with businesspeople and select other groups permitted to apply for exemption for quarantine.
The Hong Kong authorities announced further restrictions on Sunday night (May 16) after Taiwan again saw a single-day high, this time registering 206 confirmed local cases.
According to the latest regulations, which took effect Monday, anyone who has been on Taiwanese soil within 14 days of their arrival in Hong Kong must submit the negative result of a nucleic acid test for the coronavirus before boarding their flight, and the test must have been carried out within 72 hours of their scheduled departure. They must also now show "confirmation of a room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel" in Hong Kong.
As for the quarantine period, those who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now required to spend 21 days in quarantine. However, those arrivals that can show proof of vaccination are still subject to a 14-day quarantine, during which they will still have to submit to the aforementioned three tests, with follow-up tests on their 16th and 19th days in Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said it has been "closely monitoring the epidemic situation of various places, the prevalence of new virus variants, vaccination progress, and changes in the volume of cross-boundary passenger traffic," and will adjust requirements for arrivals "as the situation warrants."