Health Alert: U.S.

Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau

(August 3, 2021)

Location: Hong Kong

Event: On August 2, 2021, the Hong Kong government (HKG)

announced multiple changes to Hong Kong's entry and quarantine
requirements for inbound travelers. Fully vaccinated non-Hong
Kong residents traveling from the United States who have not spent
any time in a “Group A specified place” in the 21 days before
boarding a flight to Hong Kong will now be able to enter Hong Kong
beginning August 9, 2021, provided they comply with all requisite
testing and quarantine requirements. Unvaccinated children of fully
vaccinated individuals may now complete the remainder of their 21-
day compulsory quarantine at home, after quarantining in a
designated hotel with their fully vaccinated parent. Hong Kong
health authorities have advised that, should an unvaccinated child
complete quarantine at home, all members of the household who are
eligible for vaccination, including domestic helpers, must be fully
vaccinated. Additional details on Hong Kong’s entry, testing, and
quarantine requirements can be found on the Hong Kong
government’s website and associated annex.

The Hong Kong government currently classifies the United States as

a "medium risk" country. Individuals traveling to Hong Kong from the
United States must comply with the following requirements:

All individuals traveling from the United States to Hong Kong

must present proof of a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test
conducted within 72 hours before departure. They must also
show confirmation of a reservation in a designated quarantine
hotel, the length of which depends on the traveler's vaccination
status and serology antibody test. As all travelers will be tested
for COVID-19 upon arrival in Hong Kong, the U.S. Consulate
General in Hong Kong and Macau strongly recommends
travelers complete their pre-departure test within 48 hours of
departure to reduce the chance of a positive test upon arrival. A
list of designated quarantine hotels can be found on the Hong
Kong government’s website.

Fully vaccinated individuals traveling from the United States

must present their vaccination record and confirmation of a
room reservation for 14 nights starting on the day of arrival in a
designated quarantine hotel. The name on the traveler's
vaccination record must exactly match the name on the
individual's travel document. Fully vaccinated travelers who can
present a positive antibody test conducted within the past three
months by a lab recognized by the HKG can have their
compulsoryquarantine shortened to seven days. The list of HKG
approved serology laboratories can be found here.

Minor children, under the age of 12, of fully vaccinated parents

are still required to quarantine for 21 days, although they only
need to remain in the designated quarantine hotel for the length
of their parents' compulsory quarantine. Unvaccinated children
under the age of 12 may complete the remainder of their 21-day
compulsory quarantine at home, in self-isolation, provided they
have no contact with any non-vaccinated individual.

Only Hong Kong residents or vaccinated non-residents may

travel to Hong Kong from the United States. Unvaccinated non-
 Hong Kong residents will not be permitted to board a flight to
Hong Kong from the United States. A person is considered to
be fully vaccinated if they have received the full vaccination
course at least 14 days before arrival.

Travelers to Hong Kong from the United States should also be aware
of the following points:

Individuals arriving from the United States will be tested for

COVID-19 upon arrival at the Hong Kong airport and will
undergo further compulsory tests, the number of which
depends on their vaccination status. As mentioned above, the
U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau strongly
recommends that individuals traveling from the United States to
Hong Kong conduct their pre-departure COVID-19 test within
48 hours of boarding their flight to Hong Kong. Although the
Hong Kong government’s current requirement is for travelers to
present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of
departure, testing within 48 hours of your departure may reduce
the chance that your post-arrival COVID-19 test will yield a
different result from your pre-departure test. The U.S.
Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau recommends that
travelers, from the time period after their pre-departure PCR
test until the boarding their flight to Hong Kong, follow CDC
guidance with respect to mask wearing and other best practices
for avoiding potential exposure to COVID-19.

There have been cases of vaccinated travelers testing positive

upon arrival in Hong Kong. If a traveler tests positive for
COVID-19 upon returning to Hong Kong (or has a re-positive
test result in cases of individuals who have recovered from a
 previous infection), the preliminary positive test result will cause
local health officials to hospitalize and test the COVID-19
positive individual and quarantine their close contacts. This
quarantine may last from anywhere between seven and 21 days,
depending on the variant and their vaccination status.

If, during your flight to Hong Kong, you are seated near an
individual who subsequently tests positive for COVID-19, health
officials may consider you to be a close contact.

Local health officials will implement testing, contact tracing, and

quarantine protocols for the places you visited and your close
contacts in Hong Kong within the past 21 days if you depart
Hong Kong and test positive upon arrival in your new location, or
if you return to Hong Kong after less than 21 days abroad and
test positive upon arrival.

Assistance:

U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau

+852 2841-2211
+852 2523-9011 (after hours)
ACSHK@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Hong Kong Country Information
Macau Country Information
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