The Hong Kong government announced that Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong, Wan Chai and Panda Hotel, Tseun Wan will be added to the 8th Cycle Designated Quarantine Hotel (DQH) list, which runs from August 1 to October 31. They are open for bookings from July 13 and July 19, respectively. In addition, two hotels in the 8th Cycle — Bay Bridge Lifestyle Retreat and Prince Hotel Hong Kong — will start operations as DQHs this month and will begin accepting bookings from July 13.
There will now be a total of 67 DQHs in Cycle 8, which will provide overseas travellers approximately 25,500 rooms. Currently, all Hong Kong-bound international passengers must isolate at a DQH for a minimum of seven days after they land in the city. However, the SAR’s new Secretary for Health, Lo Chung-mau, says the government is considering “changing some of the designated hotel quarantine into home quarantine or home health monitoring”.
This development comes after the five-day ban on flights that brought a certain number of Covid-positive passengers on certain routes into Hong Kong was suspended. The government also added a Day 3 PCR test for arrivals under hotel quarantine and will likely issue them a yellow health code for when they are under home isolation.
In addition, the authorities extended the current social distancing measures for another 14 days. The restrictions — which include limits on seating and capacities, a ban on live performances and dancing, and regulations regarding opening hours — first came into force in May 2022 and were set to expire this week.
As part of these measures, anyone who wishes to visit bars, pubs, clubs, or nightclubs in Hong Kong must show proof of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) taken within 24 hours prior to entry. This restriction also applies to a “bar/pub zone inside a catering premises”.
Header image credits: Chong Fat via Wiki Commons
