Hong Kong

HONG Kong tightened its travel curbs for residents returning from 16 countries - including the United States, France and Spain - less than two months after it started easing some of the world's strictest quarantine measures.

The abrupt reversal reflects a fear of reopening as the Delta variant drives resurgences across the world.

Fifteen countries were moved up to the "high-risk" category, which means that vaccinated Hong Kong residents returning home must spend 21 days in hotel quarantine upon arrival, triple the previous length of stay.

Tourists and unvaccinated residents are no longer allowed entry, according to a government statement on Monday. The new restrictions take effect starting Aug 20.

Residents and tourists with antibody test results proving they had been vaccinated previously had to spend a week in hotel quarantine.

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The about-turn comes after a resident returning from the US tested positive for the virus several days after completing a seven-day quarantine, sparking fears that the eased travel rules would allow the Delta variant to slip into the Asian financial hub.

Hong Kong has enjoyed a streak of over two months with nearly no local virus cases, even as Singapore and mainland China have struggled to contain the mutation.

Hong Kong's success with Covid-19 has come through its strict mitigation measures, including lengthy hotel quarantines for those newly arriving. Just 39 per cent of its population is fully vaccinated, less than many other developed economies.

"The global Covid-19 epidemic situation is under serious threat from the Delta variant, with acute surges in the number of confirmed cases within a short period of time in many countries," the statement said.

The measures are meant to "uphold the local barrier against the importation of Covid-19", it added.

Hong Kong is once again seeing its border rules tighten as the Delta variant spreads in neighbouring areas. It also reinstated quarantine rules for residents from Macau and mainland China, except Guangdong province.

The business community has struggled for the past 18 months with an economy that's been starved of big-spending tourists and business travellers.

Hong Kong had about 99.9 per cent fewer visitor arrivals in the first half this year than in the same period in 2019.

"This is a devastating announcement in terms of the inability for businesses to plan," said Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, in a WhatsApp message.

"We respect the worries over the need to keep infections down, but business and people need to connect overseas and plan for the future." BLOOMBERG