HK-Macau travel bubble to go ahead if HK reaches 28 Covid-19 free days

Macau authorities have stated that a travel bubble with Hong Kong will be possible once Hong Kong has gone at least 28 days without any new Covid-19 cases.

Macau.- Alvis Lo lek Long, Macau Health Bureau director, has said that a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Macau could be contemplated once Hong Kong passes 28 days without a local Covid-19 case.

Authorities had previously said Hong Kong should reach 14 consecutive days without a new Covid-19 case to start talks about a travel bubble but it seems the opinion has changed.

Once travel between Hong Kong and Macau is finally allowed, it is expected Macau will only allow vaccinated people to enter the city, showing a negative Covid-19 test.

A travel bubble between Macau and Hong Kong is vital for Macau’s economic recovery as Hong Kong provides 10 to 15 per cent of Macau’s annual casino gross gaming revenue (GGR).

For now, mainland China is the only country to have a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau. However, the number of tourists was affected by a rise in Covid-19 cases in Guangdong province during the first weeks of June.

Macau authorities are now considering easing restrictions on travellers from Guangdong amid a decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases. They have already announced that people coming from Shenzhen city and Maoming city no longer need to undergo a 14-day quarantine. 

As for the vaccination rate in Hong Kong, 24.2 per cent of people have received a first dose. It’s a slower rollout than in some other countries, such as Singapore, where 47.3 per cent of people have been vaccinated.

Hong Kong shortens quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers

The obligatory quarantine for those arriving in Hong Kong will be reduced to seven days for those who have been vaccinated and passed an antibody test, and who are not coming from high-risk countries.

According to Bloomberg, the change will depend on trials of antibody tests that are currently underway.

Countries deemed high risk include Japan, the US and the UK. Visitors from countries like India that are catalogued as “extremely high risk” are not allowed to enter Hong Kong.

The Philippines is also catalogued as “extremely high risk”. The capital, Manila, has extended its general community quarantine (GCQ) until June 30.