The Government has implemented streamlined procedures of arrival quarantine and testing at the airport starting from today (August 12). Alongside the requirement for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan to complete the online health declaration to the Department of Health before boarding, as at noon today, 95 per cent of persons arriving at Hong Kong were able to complete the procedures of testing, quarantine and immigration clearance within 50 minutes. According to the on-site observation by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the majority of persons arriving at Hong Kong were able to board the point-to-point transportation and depart from the airport for designated quarantine hotels (DQHs) within one to two hours after disembarking from the planes.
 
     Under the new arrangement, persons arriving at Hong Kong from today onwards are required to register for testing right after disembarkation with their health declaration QR code generated upon completion of health declaration. They can then immediately have their specimen collected for the nucleic acid test and rapid antigen test (RAT) on the arrivals level of Terminal 1. This is far more efficient and convenient than the previous arrangement, which required inbound persons to undergo testing at the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre located at the Midfield Concourse of the airport.
 
     For inbound persons who had their relevant submitted information (including their DQH booking information) confirmed by the online health declaration system, they will be issued a green health declaration QR code. Once they have completed registration for testing upon arrival at Hong Kong, the system will issue quarantine orders, medical surveillance notices, vaccination records and Provisional Vaccine Pass QR codes electronically. After having their specimens collected for testing, these persons holding a green health declaration QR code can then proceed direct with the immigration clearance procedures and claim their baggage. If the health declaration information of inbound persons has not been confirmed (such as if the system was unable to confirm the DQH booking information), the persons concerned will be issued a pink health declaration QR code. They are required to go to the Midfield Concourse of the airport for further confirmation of relevant documents upon completion of specimen collection, before they can proceed with immigration clearance procedures.
 
     As observed on-site this morning, the vast majority of inbound persons held a green health declaration QR code, while only about 10-odd per cent of the inbound persons were holding a pink health declaration QR code. Persons with a green health declaration QR code were able to experience a smooth flow in proceeding with immigration procedures right after specimen collection. They could then leave the Baggage Reclaim Hall after claiming their baggage and on confirmation of their negative RAT results, and board the point-to-point transportation to DQHs where they will wait for the nucleic acid test result and undergo quarantine. The median time required for the entire process, from registration for testing to completion of immigration clearance, baggage claiming and reaching the arrival hall, was about 30 minutes, and 95 per cent of inbound persons went through the entire process in less than 50 minutes. This represented a great reduction in time needed as compared to the earlier arrangement, which required all inbound persons to go to the Midfield Concourse. Most of the inbound persons holding a green health declaration QR code were able to board the point-to-point transportation and depart from the airport for DQHs within one to two hours upon disembarkation. In other words, the arrangement of "express channels" for inbound persons holding a green health declaration QR code has greatly shortened their time spent on arrival procedures.
 
     A Government spokesman said, "The streamlined procedures of arrival quarantine and testing have considerably reduced the time that inbound persons have to stay at the airport, enabling them to go to the hotel for a good rest as early as possible after their tiring flight. They have also minimised the chance of cross-infection among inbound persons at the airport, allowing the Government to precisely contain the risk of virus spread while facilitating activities and people flow essential to socio-economic recovery.
 
     "The Government will follow established practice to adjust the anti-epidemic measures as appropriate according to the epidemic developments and analysis of scientific data, with a view to guarding against the importation of cases. We will also continue to make the best application of technology in enhancing procedures so as to assist inbound persons and create favourable conditions for Hong Kong to resume normal connections with different parts of the world."
 
     For details of the streamlined quarantine and testing arrangements, please refer to the press release issued earlier.

Ends/Friday, August 12, 2022
Issued at HKT 20:24

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