Hong Kong Strengthens Entry Restrictions from 20th... High-Risk Countries Increased to 25

[Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Hong Kong government will strengthen entry restrictions starting from the 20th to block the COVID-19 Delta variant.

According to Bloomberg on the 16th (local time), under the enhanced entry restrictions, 15 countries including the United States, France, and Spain will be newly classified as high-risk countries. The number of high-risk countries will increase from the previous 10 countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and Russia to 25 countries.

Those entering from these countries will not be allowed entry if they are unvaccinated. Even if vaccinated, travelers from high-risk countries must undergo a 21-day quarantine period at designated hotels. The quarantine period has tripled from the previous 7 days. This measure follows a recent case where a Hong Kong resident returning from the United States tested positive for COVID-19 after completing a 7-day quarantine.

There were two low-risk countries, Australia and New Zealand, but with Australia removed, only New Zealand remains. Australia is now classified as a medium-risk country.

Among business officials, while acknowledging the measure is to block the Delta variant, there are reactions of surprise at the sudden strengthening of quarantine measures. This is because strict entry controls have disrupted existing business schedules.

There are also criticisms that the criteria for entry restrictions are unclear. For example, despite a significant decrease in new cases in the Netherlands recently, it was newly added as a high-risk country this time. As of the 15th, the Netherlands reported 17,700 new cases over one week, a significant decrease compared to 76,000 in mid-last month.

Tom Barker, Secretary-General of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, pointed out that it is like a black box as it is unclear what criteria were used to classify the risk level of each country. He added that the ambiguity of the quarantine measures' criteria will increase uncertainty in Hong Kong's economy.

Hong Kong has contained the spread of COVID-19 through strong quarantine measures. In the past two months, there have been almost no local infections. On the other hand, due to strict entry restrictions, the number of tourists in Hong Kong in the first half of this year was only 0.1% of that in the first half of 2019.

Hong Kong's vaccination rate is 39%. Singapore, a competitor as a financial hub, has a vaccination rate of about 73% and is currently considering easing quarantine measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.