Hong Kong has ended the requirement for travellers to go into hotel quarantine for seven days from Monday (26 September) as the Chinese territory finally eases its strict Covid-19 entry rules.
Passengers will also no longer have to show a negative Covid test result when boarding a flight to Hong Kong, under new rules implemented by the territory’s government. Instead, travellers will have to monitor themselves for any signs of infection during their first three days in the destination.
Cathay Pacific, which has seen its recovery from the pandemic stifled by the strict quarantine rules, welcomed the move from the Hong Kong government and said it would be adding hundreds of flights from October.
“These adjustments will help boost sentiment for travel, thereby facilitating the gradual resumption of travel activities and strengthening of network connectivity to, from and through the Hong Kong aviation hub,” said Cathay in a statement.
“We intend to add more than 200 pairs of passenger flights in October to both regional and long-haul destinations.
“As Hong Kong’s home airline, we are fully committed to rebuilding the connectivity of the Hong Kong aviation hub. While we will continue to add back more flights as quickly as is feasible, it will take time to rebuild our capacity gradually.”
Cathay is taking advantage of Japan’s relaxation in its Covid entry rules to resume daily flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo Haneda from 1 November and Sapporo from 1 December. The airline will also increase frequencies to both Tokyo Narita and Osaka in October.