Hong Kong will be ending hotel quarantine on Sep 26

It’s a breath of fresh air – almost literally, just in time for our end-of-year travels. While Japan has just announced that visa-free entry will soon open for individual travellers, Hong Kong will end its once-mandatory hotel quarantine from September 26 (next Monday) onwards.

Now, instead of having to spend three days in a self-paid hotel, you will need to go through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival. You can then happily head off home or go to a hotel of your choice, but just remember to self-monitor for three days after. This also means that you won’t be able to pop by your local bar or favourite restaurants for the same time period. Hong Kong terms this as the “0+3” scheme.

There’s now also no longer a need to show proof for a pre-flight PCR test before flying to Hong Kong – instead, it’s been replaced with the more affordable Antigen Rapid Test (ART).