Hong Kong International Airport rules change as govt relaxes Covid rules
A lot has changed over the years during COVID19. HKIA which once used to be one of the busiest airport nearly became empty. But all of that is changing as we are moving on towards our recovery phase and slowly but surely opening up our home Hong Kong to not only returning residents, but for tourists and business people alike. Our LocalHood website content team volunteer Saravanan took this opportunity to see how things have gotten easier coming back to Hong Kong now that the quarantine restrictions are lifted off. To end with, he will also look at how the establishments and new attraction are taking place in the Hong Kong International Airport that you may drop by before your next flight.
Having loosened up the COVID19 restriction has somewhat drove the residents of Hong Kong to travel once again and visitors to enter this vibrant city. But before heading out of Home Kong, you may be wondering, “How do i even enter back?” Let me explain to you briefly on the steps and how to get back into/in Hong Kong.
1) Vaccine
As a Hong Kong resident, you don’t have to be vaccinated to enter. As a non-resident however, you do need at least two doses of most vaccines and the proof of vaccination is required. More info here https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/list_of_recognised_covid19_vaccines.pdf
Arriving passengers vaccinated outside of Hong Kong will need to upload their vaccination record when filling out the health declaration here, https://hdf.chp.gov.hk/dhehd/?lang=en-us
All visitors meeting the minimum vaccination dose will be issued a Provisional Vaccine Pass (PVP) on arrival which will be valid for 180 days. Unvaccinated residents will not be issued with a PVP. Children under 11 however will be issued PVP, regardless of their vaccination status.
2) Before departing to Hong Kong
Know that if you do test positive for COVID-19 in Hong Kong, you will be issued a 7 day self isolation order, meaning you can’t leave Hong Kong (or the place you are staying in) until this order is complete. So, please confirm with your hotel if you can stay if you do test positive (before you book), if not there’s always the Community Isolation Facility.
Before entering Hong Kong, you must do a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT/ART/LFT?) within 24 hours of the scheduled departure time and the results have to be ticked off in the E-Health declaration here, https://hdf.chp.gov.hk/dhehd/?lang=en-us
If you contracted COVID within 90 days of arriving into Hong Kong, this form is important for you! Make sure to mark the prior infection date in the form.
This form can be filled out 96 hours prior to arrival, and can be amended as long as you keep your reference number. Make sure to safe the green QR code after filling out the E-Health declaration as it is essential during your check in to head to Hong Kong.
3) Arrival and Post Arrival
Arriving into Hong Kong airport is EASY now as opposed to before. After disembarking from your aircraft, you will be herded towards the “testing area”. Have your “green QR code” from the E-Health declaration earlier and your valid ID to verify your identity. There are at least 7 stations for the throat sample collection and the process is over and done with in just under 20 minutes! They will send you either an email or sms of the results within a few hours so be sure to provide the authorities with proper contact details. You may now clear immigrations and customs and head on over to your accommodation.
Note that you are required to do daily RATs and a PCR test in the community testing centres which can be booked here, https://booking.communitytest.gov.hk/form/index.jsp and be under medical surveillance for 7 days, more info will be provided with a sheet of paper which leads you to the CHP website on arrival.
Your leave home safe app will also be “amber” for the next 3 days (except to those arriving in tour groups and/or attending conferences, where the rules are different) and will automatically turn blue on the 3rd day after 9am. During the amber code period you can’t enter restaurants, bars, clubs and a whole other areas, however you are allowed to enter er theme parks, supermarkets, malls, sporting grounds and concerts (that don’t serve food or drink) and can take all forms of public transport.
Now that we have seen how easy it is to arrive into Hong Kong International Airport, let’s have a look at some of the upgrades and establishments that have opened up these few years. The latest attraction HKIA has to offer is the Hong Kong International Airport’s Sky Bridge. Having just opened up in November 2022 the Sky Bridge is the world’s longest airside bridge that allows Code F aircraft such as the A380 to pass under it. With the exterior glazing and glass floor installed on the bridge, the airport notes that “passengers can enjoy the extraordinary experience of an aircraft passing beneath their feet”. A sure attraction for adults and kids alike.
The Lounge scene in HKIA has also changed quite a bit. Plaza Premium Lounge is in the midst of opening up another of their award-winning lounge in the Sky Bridge and as this article is written, the lounges that are currently open in HKIA includes the Cathay Pacific lounges (The Pier, The Wing - First Class), Plaza Premium Lounge (east, west and the rest and shower lounge). The number of eateries within the HKIA airside area has dwindled over these p ast two years. I was really surprised to see a new sushi restaurant opening up, which makes it all the more interesting.
As restrictions are eased more and more, the chances of us traveling once again seems more and more likely. Changes in the HKIA arena and what is has to offer will definitely get better once terminal 2 opens up in a few more years. So let us celebrate our city opening up slowly but surely and to us travelling once again.