Newly arrived passengers wear protective gear and facemask as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, at the arrivals hall of Hong Kong’s international airport on March 24, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Travelers from the Chinese mainland, Macao and Taiwan will be required to undergo coronavirus testing on the second and 12th day of their arrival in Hong Kong starting Thursday, the Hong Kong government announced on Wednesday.

The announcement came as the special administrative region standardized COVID-19 testing rules for people from the three places arriving through the Hong Kong airport or by land. 

Currently, all travelers flying to the city need to undergo a virus test at the airport before they leave for other places in the city, while those from the mainland will be given a specimen collection bottle for deep throat saliva sample collection for testing again on the 12th day of their arrival in Hong Kong.

Wednesday also saw restrictions on religious gathering relaxed, with venues being allowed to entertain worshipers no more than 30 percent of their full capacity

For travelers who arrive on land, those who are exempted from mandatory quarantine are required to take a test within three days of arrival. Some of them, who are considered at higher risk, need to undergo another test on the 12th day of their arrival.

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In a release, a spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said the different testing arrangements may cause inconvenience to travelers. As such, the government announced the standardized new rules to avoid confusion.

Wednesday also saw restrictions on religious gathering relaxed, with venues being allowed to entertain worshipers no more than 30 percent of their full capacity. No food or drink should be served unless for the use of religious ritual, according to a separate government release.

In another development, the Department of Health confirmed the deaths of three patients who had received COVID-19 vaccination but said it is unlikely that their deaths were linked to the vaccine.

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According to the department, the three cases involved an 80-year-old woman who died of ruptured myocardial infarction at home, a 58-year-old man who drowned and a 30-year-old woman who died after falling from height. The three cases did not fulfill the reporting criteria of vaccine side-effect incidents, according to the department.