King Kong

From Thursday, Hongkongers will no longer have to scan their Vaccine Pass or provide proof of vaccination when entering restaurants or other businesses.

[Newsletter](https://www.hongkongfp.com/newsletter/) [Error/typo?](https://www.hongkongfp.com/hkfp-corrections-policy/) [Contact Us](https://www.hongkongfp.com/contact-us/) [Code of Ethics](https://www.hongkongfp.com/hkfp-code-ethics/) [Support HKFP](https://support.hongkongfp.com/) The health authorities will also stop requiring close contacts of Covid-19 patients to undergo isolation, will axe the group gathering limit of 12 people and lift venue capacity limits.

City leader reveals new measures on Wednesday afternoon, says mask mandate will remain.

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong is set to announce a raft of changes to its Covid measures, including an end to social-gathering limits and proof of vaccination ...

The SCMP also reported Hong Kong’s local pharmacies are selling out of common antipyretics, including to send to friends and relatives in mainland China. Hong Kong is also facing its own flareup, with local infections rising and health officials warning about the strain being put on the health-care system from both Covid and influenza. People coming to Hong Kong will need to perform either a rapid test within 24 hours of departing for the city, or a PCR test within 48 hours. It’s also put the city on track to open up to the mainland just as China grapples with the world’s biggest outbreak, and a growing list of overseas locations grow anxious about infections spreading. There will be no cap on the number of people who can gather in public, and the vaccine pass for entry to a raft of venues will also be scrapped, starting from Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee said Wednesday. Japan will require a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival for visitors who have been in mainland China within a seven-day period, with anyone testing positive required to quarantine for a week.

This comes two days after China announced an end to the coronavirus quarantine rule for inbound travellers from January 8, reported Reuters. The National Health ...

It was noted that up to 248 million people, or nearly 18 per cent of the population, were likely to have contracted the coronavirus in the first 20 days of December, Radio Free Asia reported. Against this background, some Chinese cities — Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and others — were hit by mass protests. China’s management of COVID-19 will also be downgraded to the less strict Category B from the current top-level Category A, the health authority said in a statement.

Hong Kong is scrapping some of its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR tests for inbound travelers and vaccination requirements to enter certain venues.

“Our society as a whole has built an extensive and high-level barrier of immunity (to COVID-19),” said Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee at a news conference. The relaxed measures will take effect from Thursday. [relaxed measures in recent weeks](https://apnews.com/article/health-china-covid-government-and-politics-fb77c852a1ab66b0827863c26939cc0f), and Hong Kong is preparing for the January reopening of its border with China, which had previously imposed harsh restrictions and snap lockdowns to stamp out the virus.

This comes two days after China announced an end to the coronavirus quarantine rule for inbound travellers from January 8.

[Hong Kong](/topic/hong-kong) also said that the city's pass required to enter most venues would also be scrapped. It was noted that up to 248 million people, or nearly 18 per cent of the population, were likely to have contracted the [China](/topic/china) announced an end to the [coronavirus](/about/what-is-coronavirus) quarantine rule for inbound travellers from January 8, reported Reuters. [ Business Standard App ](/app) for latest [Business News](/) and [ Market News ](/markets). [China](/topic/china) by mid-January. [Hong Kong](/topic/hong-kong) on Wednesday announced it will scrap the mandatory Covid-19 test for [international](/international) travellers, Reuters reported citing local broadcaster TVB.

International travellers to Hong Kong will no longer need to do a mandatory PCR COVID-19 test on arrival, local broadcaster TVB said on Wednesday citing ...

Hong Kong and China have lagged the rest of the world in easing stringent COVID rules. A mandatory vaccine pass has also been in place since February. Restrictions on travel between Hong Kong and the mainland were imposed in early 2020.

There will be no cap on public gatherings, and the city's vaccine pass will also be scrapped, starting from Thursday. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The department said it had contacted the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong to “solemnly request” a reversal of the decision – which takes effect from Friday. Moves to ease some of Hong Kong’s final virus curbs and reopen with the mainland would come despite an uptick in local infections and warnings about the strain being put on the healthcare system from both Covid-19 and influenza. The city deployed similar curbs during its own fight against Covid-19, including rapid bans on airlines for carrying virus-positive passengers and travel restrictions for nations with major outbreaks. [an end to quarantine for inbound travellers](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/travellers-to-china-will-not-need-to-quarantine-from-jan-8), and no testing after arrival from Jan 8. The city will also no longer require arrivals to undertake PCR tests, though they will be recommended to do rapid tests for five days, and close contacts of Covid-positive people will not need to quarantine, he said. The change, though, coincides with a massive outbreak across the country following the end of Covid Zero.

The Chinese city once had some of the toughest restrictions in the world, but is now opening up.

Hong Kong is part of China and is governed by the [announced further plans to ease travel restrictions.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-64097497) Hong Kong has said that it will fully reopen its borders with the rest of China before mid-January. Since the pandemic began, the city has largely followed mainland China's lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a "zero-Covid" strategy. "Hong Kong has a sufficient amount of medicine to fight Covid, and healthcare workers have gained rich experience in facing the pandemic," Mr Lee said on Wednesday. It is a dramatic move by the city, which once had some of the toughest restrictions in the world. From Thursday, people arriving in the city - a special administrative region of China - will no longer have to do mandatory PCR tests.

Territory drops mandatory testing for arrivals as it follows Beijing's exit from virus controls.

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A grungy arts hub, a park with a dark history and a monastery flanked by 10,000 Buddhas are waiting to be explored · Cattle Depot Artist Village · Kowloon Walled ...

The monastery is easily reached, located next to Sha Tin MTR station, about 9km north of tourist hotspot Tsim Sha Tsui. From now until late February, visitors can also appreciate the brilliant textiles and embroidery of female artists at a new exhibition called Women and Femininity in Ancient China. Located north of the city centre, in Sha Tin, this museum makes for a great day trip when combined with the nearby Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery and Che Kung Temple, a commanding and photogenic Taoist complex. Avoid the bustling Hong Kong Park and instead enjoy the comparative peace of Kowloon Walled City Park, which has a surprisingly chaotic backstory. While wandering its beautifully-landscaped gardens, I come across a scaled model of the colossal housing complex that existed here until 1994. Dating back to 1908, this large complex was a slaughterhouse before it was reborn in 2001 as an eclectic community of creatives.

Social distancing, vaccination proof and PCR tests no longer required · What's News · Airlines Cap Fares as Southwest Cancellations Continue · Wall Street's ...

[20% off gifts - New Year's 1800 Flowers coupon](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/1800flowers) [Personalization Mall Coupon: 25% Off Gifts](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/personalization-mall) Wednesday’s announcement removes most of the remaining restrictions that have dimmed Hong Kong’s attraction as a place to visit or live, but comes as Beijing throws open its own borders and ends Covid controls despite

International travellers to Hong Kong will no longer need to do a mandatory PCR COVID-19 test on arrival, city leader John Lee said on Wednesday, ...

Rights groups call on the Biden administration to extend immunity arrangements to protect exiled activists.

Meanwhile, Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders called for the release of Hong Kong TV journalist Tang Cheuk-yu, who was sentenced on Dec. China itself ranks 175th of the 180 countries and territories evaluated, the group said. "Many of them have already had their ID card numbers recorded by the Hong Kong police," she said. "This will give them a bit of time to apply for political refugee status or to decide what other direction to take and the next steps they should take." All this comes on top of the miscellaneous protest-related charges leveled against Hong Kongers since 2019." "The political instability in Hong Kong shows no sign of slowing down," the letter said.