Hong Kong Ends Tests for Travelers in Sweeping Covid Overhaul

• The city ends the requirement for inbound travelers to do PCR tests
• Close contact quarantine also scrapped; mask mandate stays

Hong Kong will end some of its last major Covid rules, scrapping limits on public gatherings and no longer requiring proof of vaccination for entry to some venues, in a sweeping overhaul of policies aimed at reviving its reputation as a global financial center. 

There will be no cap on public gatherings, and the city’s vaccine pass will also be scrapped, starting from Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee said Wednesday. Close contacts of Covid-positive people won’t need to quarantine and limits on the number of people who can sit together in restaurants and bars

Source: Bloomberg

According to Lee, the government intends to reopen its borders with mainland China by January 15 and is working with authorities to ensure a smooth reopening. According to him, the authorities have been preparing for the scrapping of all restrictions for the past six months. “This is the right time to do it.” “The entire society is preparing for it,” he said. “We are conducting this in accordance with local epidemic conditions.”