Hong Kong eases some testing requirements for inbound travel

HONG Kong will relax some Covid-19 testing requirements for incoming air passengers as the city takes small steps towards easing travel restrictions.

While travellers still need a polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid (PCR) test within 48 hours of the scheduled departure of their flight to the financial hub, they will no longer have to give documentary proof of lab accreditation, the Hong Kong government said in a statement on Sunday (May 29). The city will also drop requirements for transit passengers to have a pre-flight PCR test.

The changes will take effect from June 1, it said.

The government also announced an easing of the flight-suspension mechanism for airlines that carry Covid-positive travellers. From June 1, airlines that trigger the mechanism over a 10-day period will receive a warning and a HK$20,000 (S$3,500) penalty. If the carrier again breaches the terms within 10 days, it will be prohibited from flying that route into Hong Kong for 5 days. BLOOMBERG