Hong Kong to cut Covid-19 quarantine to 7 days for some vaccinated residents, including those arriving from Singapore

The mandatory quarantine period for fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents testing positive for coronavirus antibodies on their return from lower-risk countries could be halved from 14 to seven days, the Post has learned.

Details of the latest arrangements are expected to be revealed at a Monday (June 21) afternoon press conference led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor, according to sources, with the government likely to adopt the recommendations of its scientific advisers to loosen quarantine rules.

Lam is also poised to announce the relaxation of some social-distancing measures, while a source has said the city is due to extend its streak of zero local coronavirus infections to 16 days.

The shortened quarantine period is set to cover residents who have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days and have returned from countries deemed to be "high risk" or lower for Covid-19. On arrival, they must test positive for antibodies against the coronavirus and negative for the virus itself.

The seven-day quarantine would be applicable to Hong Kong residents, including work-visa holders, returning from countries classified in high-risk Group B and medium-risk Group C under the city's five-tier system for assessing the overseas Covid-19 threat.

The 29 countries currently in Group B include Canada, Japan, Britain, Singapore and the United States.

Medium-risk countries refer to all places outside China that are not classified in any other group.

Currently, fully vaccinated returnees from both high-risk and medium-risk places must undergo hotel quarantine for 14 days, during which they are required to take three coronavirus tests.

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After their release, they should self-monitor for a week and submit to testing on the 16th and 19th days of their return.

Those returning from countries in A1 and A2 - judged to be extremely high risk and very high risk respectively - are either barred from returning altogether or have to quarantine for 21 days.

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Fully vaccinated people arriving from the lowest-risk countries - Australia and New Zealand of Group D - can already take advantage of the seven-day quarantine.

Government health advisers said earlier that testing for coronavirus antibodies could indicate whether international arrivals had been vaccinated.

Antibody testing of people undergoing quarantine might also help identify false negative cases to ensure asymptomatic infections did not enter the community, they added.

City leader Lam previously said she supported the experts' suggestions for antibody testing and that health authorities were studying the details of the proposals.

Countries categorised by their risk levels:

A1 Extremely high risk

Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa

A2 Very high risk

Ireland and Indonesia

B High risk

Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Britain, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Vietnam

C Medium risk

All places except mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan which are not Group A1, Group A2, Group B or Group D

D Low risk

Australia and New Zealand

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.