2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> Hong Kong> Content
Published: 14:30, June 23, 2022 | Updated: 14:30, June 23, 2022
HK virus testing: Measures adopted to facilitate travelers
By Wang Zhan
Published:14:30, June 23, 2022 Updated:14:30, June 23, 2022 By Wang Zhan

Passengers line up to be taken to hotel quarantine at the Hong Kong International Airport on April 1, 2022, after the city lifted a flight ban on nine countries amid the pandemic. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG - The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has adopted a series of measures to enhance testing capability and shorten the waiting time for travelers undergoing COVID-19 testing at various border control points.

READ MORE: Thousands returning to HK as flight bans on 9 countries lifted

Answering queries at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the government has been reviewing and constantly enhancing the relevant arrangement since the implementation of "test-and-hold" in March 2020 at the Hong Kong International Airport. 

At present, it takes about an average of 55 minutes for inbound travelers to complete the testing and immigration procedures at the Hong Kong airport

Under the arrangement, inbound travelers need to get tested upon arrival and receive a negative COVID-19 result before being allowed to travel to designated quarantine hotels.

To shorten the waiting for inbound travelers as much as possible, the government has adopted rapid polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid tests as well as the addition of rapid antigen test on May 9 this year. This allowed inbound travelers with negative RAT results to proceed to their quarantine hotel to wait for their PCR test results, Chan said.

At present, it takes about an average of 55 minutes for travelers to complete the testing and immigration procedures, she added.

Testing capacity have also been increased at other border control points to facilitate testing for outbound travelers. 

ALSO READ: Additional COVID-19 test set for flights to mainland, Macao

To prevent the exportation of local cases, outbound travelers to mainland or Macao are subject to an additional free PCR test prior to departure from Hong Kong at the airport or land boundary control points since March 2022. Only those who receive a negative result can continue with their journeys.

Chan noted that upon the government’s request, the testing contractor has increased the equipment and manpower at the Shenzhen Bay Port as passenger flow there has recent increased. The testing capacity there has been increased by 40 percent as a result while waiting time shortened by 20 minutes to an average of about 80 minutes, Chan noted.

The contractor has also installed priority seats at the waiting area at the Shenzhen Bay Port for those in needed.

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !