Hong Kong allows international tourists to enter for the first time in 2 years

Hong Kong (China) will allow international tourists to enter the financial center from May, for the first time in more than two years, according to CNA.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement on April 22, regulations for airlines that have brought people with COVID-19 here will also be slightly relaxed. Flights with 5 or more people with COVID-19 will be suspended, instead of 3 as before. The flight ban for airlines will also be shortened from seven days to five days.

In addition, the Hong Kong government also announced that foreign visitors will have to follow the same procedures as residents here. The announcement comes at a time with the number of new daily cases falling below 1,000 for more than a week, since a peak of more than 70,000 on March 3.

Hong Kong’s borders have been essentially closed since early 2020 with very few flights landing and quarantine periods of up to weeks for arrivals. Most flights that can land in Hong Kong are from China and some other Asian cities.

According to government records, 11 routes were banned this week from airlines including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas and KLM. In total, more than 70 flight bans have been issued this year.

The World Financial Center has lifted its ban on incoming flights from nine countries including America and Britain on April 1, and cut the quarantine period for residents to seven days from April 14, but the control criteria remain strict.

Hong Kong also reopened gyms, beauty salons, theme parks and cinemas on April 21 for the first time in more than four months.