More good news for Hongkongers! In addition to Japan and South Korea removing restrictions on flights arriving from Hong Kong and Macau last week, Australia and the United States are also now doing the same.
After Hong Kong reopened its borders with mainland China, all four countries imposed restrictions on arrivals from Hong Kong and Macau. The announcement comes just in time for the upcoming Easter holiday.
Australia and the US are scrapping test requirements
Since January, all travellers aged above two arriving on flights from mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau must have a negative COVID-19 test before entering the United States. As the situation stabilises, the US government is looking to lift testing requirements for all three places as soon as March 10.
Australia is also scrapping its pre-departure testing rules from March 11. Health Minister Mark Butler said that “it is wise and reasonable to lift the former restrictions” given that there are no concerns for new virus variants to appear.
Japan and South Korea are lifting flight rules
The Japanese government has capped the number of flights each airline can operate since December 2022. As a result, Cathay Pacific and HK Express cancelled hundreds of flights to the popular holiday destination. However, airlines can now operate flights to Japan at full capacity.
Cathay Pacific plans to step up its flight operations to Japan. It aims to operate 83 flights per week from April and 94 flights per week in May. Meanwhile, HK Express will continue to “review its flight schedule based on the latest Japanese government measures and market conditions.”
South Korea is lifting restrictions that allowed flights from Hong Kong to only land at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. Arriving tourists from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau are no longer required to do a pre-departure test and Q-code registration starting March 11. However, travellers must still apply for the electronic travel authorisation (K-ETA) before boarding a flight to the country.
This article was originally published on February 28, 2023 and was updated on March 10, 2023.
(Header image credit: sofi5t/Pixabay, featured image credit: cathaypacific/Instagram)
Jianne Soriano
An introvert at heart, Jianne expresses herself best through her writing. Her passion lies in covering food and dining, music and entertainment, and arts and culture. When she's not writing, you can find her visiting art exhibitions, watching movies or Korean dramas, or travelling solo.
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