Starting January 8, travellers from Hong Kong to Macau will no longer have to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test to enter the casino city. In addition, Hong Kong-Macau ferry services will resume, starting with 10 trips a day.
The Covid-19 testing exemption applies only to arrivals in Macau from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan. All other international arrivals must provide a negative PCR test obtained within 48 hours of their arrival in Macau.
Macau also scrapped its home isolation requirement for all arrivals in December 2022. Travellers must now only undergo a five-day health management period after they enter the city, during which they will get a yellow health code and must take rapid antigen tests every day.
However, travellers aged over three years old from Macau to Hong Kong must undergo pre-departure Covid-19 testing and may only enter if they have a negative result on either a PCR test obtained with 48 hours or a rapid antigen test administered within 24 hours of their arrival in Hong Kong. This is in line with the current testing requirements for all international arrivals in Hong Kong.
These developments come the day after the Hong Kong government announced that a maximum of 60,000 Hong Kong residents can cross over to Mainland China daily, starting January 8. However, there is no capacity limit on the number of passengers who can use the Hong Kong-Macau ferry.
Header image credits: Ngduoa Howemra via Wiki Commons