Hong Kong to tighten COVID-19 restrictions to bring it more in line with China

Hong Kong's Government announced (26-Oct-2021) plans to tighten its COVID-19 restrictions to bring them in line with the rules imposed in China as it attempts to improve its chances of quarantine free travel between Hong Kong and China. Under the new rules, Hong Kong will end quarantine exemptions for nearly everyone except emergency workers and those working in essential industries (South China Morning Post, 26-Oct-2021). Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said: "We are caught in a sort of a dilemma because in order to resume some quarantine-free travel with the Mainland we have to ensure that our anti COVID-19 practices are more in line with the Mainland practices, so that the Mainland authorities will have the level of confidence to enable Hong Kong people to go into the Mainland without being subject to the 14 day plus seven-day quarantine". [more - original PR] [more - original PR II]