Homebound HKers in Macau to get no-quarantine scheme

Nov 11, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  

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Starting from November 23, Hong Kong residents that are currently in either Macau or the Chinese mainland’s Guangdong province, can return to their home city without having to go through a 14-day quarantine on arrival in Hong Kong.

But there will be a daily quota that caps the number of eligible Hong Kong-resident returnees that can use the scheme, which has been branded “Return2hk” by the Hong Kong government, according to a Wednesday briefing by that city’s authorities.

The scheme will only apply to Hong Kong residents that have been in Macau or Guangdong province for 14 days prior to their planned return home. Such travellers will also have to obtain a test result proving they are negative for Covid-19 infection, and which must have been issued within 72 hours of their planned arrival in Hong Kong.

Applications for the “Return2hk” scheme open on November 18, according to Hong Kong officials. The daily quota will be up to 2,000 Hong Kong returnees via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoints; and 3,000 Hong Kong returnees per day out of Shenzhen in Guangdong province.

Hong Kong residents that wish to travel out of Hong Kong to Macau, are still subject to Macau’s 14-day quarantine on arrival, that has to be completed at a venue designated by the Macau government. That was affirmed by Macau’s Covid-19 task force, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre in a Wednesday press statement.

Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, had mentioned on Friday that travel conditions between Macau and Hong Kong might be eased by the “second or third quarter, 2021”, if the Covid-19 pandemic was deemed to be “controlled” by then.

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