Hong Kong has finally ended mandatory hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals after more than two years, marking the lifting of one of the world’s toughest pandemic-control regimes.

Incoming travellers under the new plan from next Monday will only be required to go through three days of home medical surveillance, with their movement citywide limited.

The government has come under immense pressure from medical experts and the business community to open up to avoid further losing Hong Kong’s competitive edge to rivals. The announcement on Friday came a day after Japan and Taiwan signalled the easing of their immigration restrictions.

As the government reveals details of its latest plan to remove hotel quarantine, Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific is experiencing high traffic on its website, with an estimated wait time of four minutes.

Source: South China Morning Post