HK to shorten arrivals' quarantine period

Starting from Friday, visitors from overseas and Taiwan will undergo a seven-day quarantine consisting of three days at hotel and four days at home, the city's top leader announced on Monday.

Speaking to the media, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said those confirmed positive of COVID-19 after nucleic acid tests will receive a red code on the Leavehomesafe app. The rest will receive a yellow code until they finish the quarantine.

The health code will turn blue automatically after the quarantine is over provided the visitors test negative, Lee said.

Those with yellow health code can take public transportation and go to work, shopping malls and wet markets. However, they cannot enter premises which require a vaccine pass.

Secretary for Health Chung-mau Lo said those with yellow health code, during the four-day health observation period, will need to take Rapid Antigen Test on daily basis.

Those who have already booked seven-day hotel quarantine can still proceed with their trip to Hong Kong. The hotels will refund them if they are fit to leave after three days of quarantine.

Hong Kong reported on Sunday 4,274 new COVID-19 cases and five elderly deaths, bringing the city's toll during the fifth wave to 9,327.