[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Hong Kong government has sent letters requesting countries that have made COVID-19 testing mandatory for travelers departing from Hong Kong to cancel such measures.
Eric Chan, Hong Kong's Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, revealed on Facebook on the 3rd that letters had been sent to the consulates general in Hong Kong of countries that have strengthened quarantine measures. He stated, "These measures are unnecessary and inappropriate," and added, "We hope they reconsider and lift the restrictions." He also emphasized, "Hong Kong society has already established a relatively comprehensive epidemic prevention barrier through a high vaccination rate."
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) explained, "Chan's letter was sent amid the addition of South Korea to the list of countries requiring negative PCR test certificates from travelers departing from Hong Kong and Macau." The South Korean government announced that, in addition to quarantine measures for arrivals from China implemented since the 2nd, from the 7th it will also require travelers arriving from Hong Kong and Macau to present negative PCR and professional rapid antigen test (RAT) certificates before entry, as well as mandatory input into the Quarantine Information Pre-Entry System (Q-CODE) when boarding aircraft.
Chan also sent letters to the consulates general in Hong Kong of countries with similar measures, including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, and India.
However, Taiwan, which has been enforcing quarantine for travelers from China since the 1st, announced that from the 6th it will also require negative test certificates from travelers arriving from China via Hong Kong and Macau. SCMP explained, "The recent restrictions imposed by two popular destinations among Hong Kong residents (South Korea and Taiwan) came as Hong Kong prepares to resume quarantine-free travel with mainland China starting from the 8th."
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