Hong Kong Update for Travellers and Others

Get travel advice and stay on top of the latest developments in Hong Kong affecting the airport, public transport, public safety and other issues. Details here.

Public Health Response Plan Activated

Hong Kong health authorities continue to monitor developments regarding the emergence of an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus. A dedicated webpage has been set up to provide relevant information and health advice. Details here.

Public services to resume in a safe and orderly manner

February 27, 2020 - The Hong Kong SAR Government will implement targeted measures to reduce social contact and infection control measures and gradually resume more public services from March 2 in an orderly manner. The Government said while fighting the epidemic remains its top priority, taking into account the need for the functioning of society, bureaus or departments will provide more public services from March 2. The Government's ultimate goal is to resume full public services when conditions permit. Details here.

Assistance for Hong Kong cruise passengers continues

February 27, 2020 - Hong Kong's Immigration Department and the Department of Health (DH) have reinforced their staff to Japan to continue to assist the Hong Kong passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship who are still in Japan, including patients who are confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 and hospitalized, and close contacts of the confirmed cases now under quarantine at land quarantine facilities. There are currently 23 immigration officers in Japan and a DH medical team has also arrived there to follow up with the conditions and needs of the confirmed Hong Kong patients who are still in Japan, providing them with appropriate assistance. The Hong Kong SAR Government had arranged three chartered flights to bring 193 Hong Kong residents back home during the period between Feb 19 - 23. Separately, another 25 Hong Kong residents have returned Hong Kong on their own by other flights. As at Feb 26, a total of 218 Hong Kong passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship are under quarantine. Among them, seven have subsequently been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 and sent to hospitals for isolation and treatment. Details here.

Financial Secretary Unveils 2020-21 Budget

February 26, 2020 – In delivering his 2020-21 Budget today, Financial Secretary Paul Chan acknowledged that the budget was prepared against the backdrop of looming uncertainties in the global economy, the aftermath of local social incidents and the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Mr. Chan said that the most pressing tasks for the government are to control the epidemic and stabilize the economy. Details here.

Decrease in January's exports

February 25, 2020 - Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year decreases, at 22.7% and 16.4% respectively in January. The value of total exports of goods fell to US$34.5 billion (HK$269.4 billion), after a year-on-year increase of 3.3% in December 2019. The value of imports of goods decreased to US$38.4 billion (HK$300.0 billion), after a year-on-year decrease of 1.9% in December 2019. A visible trade deficit of US$3.9 billion (HK$30.6 billion), equivalent to 10.2% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in January 2020. Details here.

Port health measures strengthened

February 25, 2020 - Following the Hong Kong SAR Government’s announcement (Feb 24) on the Red Outbound Travel Alert issued on Korea and restriction imposed on non-Hong Kong residents arriving from Korea from entering Hong Kong, effective 6:00 AM on Feb 25, the Department of Health has immediately strengthened port health and quarantine measures on inbound travellers arriving from Korea. The measures are implemented in response to the latest situation of COVID-19 in Korea. Details here.

Flight arrangement for Hong Kong residents in Hubei

February 24, 2020 - The Hong Kong SAR Government has been liaising with the relevant Mainland authorities with the aim to bring back, in batches and as soon as possible, Hong Kong people in Hubei, especially groups of special needs. Active discussions are also ongoing with the relevant government departments and public health experts to draw up a feasible and safe plan to bring them back that will cause minimal public health risk in Hong Kong. Details here.

Red Outbound Travel Alert issued on Korea

February 24, 2020 - In view of the health risks arising from the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Korea, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government issued a Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) on the country, urging the public planning to travel to Korea to adjust travel plans and avoid non-essential travel. Hong Kong residents are encouraged to use the online Registration of Outbound Travel Information service (www.gov.hk/roti) to register their contact details and itinerary when outside Hong Kong. The information provided allows the DH and AHU of the Immigration Department to disseminate practical information to them through appropriate means, including SMS on mobile phones, on a timely basis when necessary. Details here.

Third chartered flight arrives from Japan

February 23, 2020 - The third chartered flight arranged by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government to bring back the Hong Kong residents on board the Diamond Princess cruise arrived in Hong Kong with five Hong Kong passengers on board. They will be under quarantine for 14 days, along with the 188 Hong Kong residents on the previous two chartered flights and 20 passengers who came back on their own by other flights. Up to February 22, there were a total of 634 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise, of which 68 were Hong Kong residents They are under treatment in Japan. A number of Immigration Department officers are staying in Japan to continue to provide assistance to the Hong Kong residents who are receiving medical treatment there. Details here.

Anti-epidemic funding welcomed

February 21, 2020 - Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, welcomed the passage of the funding application for the Anti-epidemic Fund by the Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee (Feb 21). Mrs Lam conveyed her heartfelt thanks to LegCo Members for their support and approval of the funding application for the HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) Anti-epidemic Fund to achieve the objective of fighting the COVID-19 virus. “The Government will continue to assess the impact of the epidemic on society and listen to comments from all sectors, while introducing more support measures as necessary," she said. Details here.

Dissemination of anti-epidemic information enhanced

February 21, 2020 - The Hong Kong SAR Government launched (Feb 21) a Telegram channel, "Hong Kong Anti-epidemic Information Channel" (t.me/HKFIGHTCOVID19), to disseminate the Government’s information on COVID-19 in a more direct and speedy way. In addition, the Government has, since early February, made use of various online platforms to centrally disseminate anti-epidemic information, including an Interactive Map Dashboard (chp-dashboard.geodata.gov.hk/covid-19/en.html) and a thematic website (www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/index.html), with a view to updating the public on the relevant information. Details here.

Hongkong Post continues to accord priority for surgical masks delivery

February 21, 2020 - Hongkong Post will continue to uphold the principle of according top priority for the delivery of surgical masks, committing to keeping its delivery service in order, with the aim of delivering all inbound items of surgical masks to the hands of the public within the week of Feb 24 - Mar 1. In a statement (Feb 21), Hongkong Post said it would also continue with the practice of calling recipients prior to delivery to ascertain their choice for door delivery or collection from post office. Hongkong Post has all along been prioritizing the handling of Speedpost items containing surgical masks. It is estimated that more than 120,000 such items would have been delivered since after the Lunar Year through this weekend. Details here.

First batch of Hong Kong cruise passengers return safely

February 20, 2020 - A total of 106 Hong Kong residents on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, including the six persons who had completed quarantine at a facility in Saitama Prefecture and were permitted to leave Japan, arrived in Hong Kong from Tokyo safely (Feb 20) on a chartered flight arranged by the Hong Kong SAR Government. Before disembarkation from the plane, staff of the Port Health Division briefed them about the quarantine arrangements and checked their body temperature. All passengers were taken to the quarantine center in Chun Yeung Estate by pre-arranged coaches to undergo 14 days of quarantine observation. People who have been arranged to stay at quarantine centers, including these passengers returning Hong Kong, have not developed any symptoms and are not confirmed or suspected infected patients. Details here.

Vigilant monitoring of COVID-19 outbreak

February 20, 2020 - Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Hong Kong SAR Government, guided by three key principles - responding promptly, staying alert to the situation and working in an open and transparent manner, has responded comprehensively to the situation, with decisive and appropriate measures in accordance with the advice and opinions of experts. These include introducing specific measures in the areas of health surveillance, compulsory quarantine, isolation treatment, health declaration, exit screening, reducing the flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland, enhancing 'social distancing' locally, supporting front-line healthcare staff and provision of sufficient personal protective equipment. The Government will continue to monitor closely the development. Subject to expert advice and the actual situation in Hong Kong, the Government will not hesitate to introduce necessary measures to suit the situation. In face of the severe epidemic situation, the Government calls on the community to act in concert, put aside differences and win the battle against the epidemic for Hong Kong. Details here.

January's inflation rose 1.4%

February 20, 2020 - Overall consumer prices for January rose by 1.4% year-on-year, smaller than the corresponding increase (2.9%) in December 2019. Netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rate of increase in the Composite CPI (i.e. the underlying inflation rate) in January 2020 was 3.7%, larger than that in December 2019 (2.9%). The increase was mainly due to the enlarged increases in the charges for package tours and prices of pork around the Lunar New Year. Looking ahead, overall inflationary pressures will likely be contained in the near term, given the mild external price pressures and subdued local economic conditions. While the threat of the novel coronavirus infection may cause prices of certain daily necessities to rise, any disruption should only be temporary. Details here.

December's exports of goods grew 3.8%

February 18, 2020 - The volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods in December grew 3.8% year-on-year while the volume of imports of goods fell by 2.0% (Feb 18). Comparing 2019 with 2018, the volume of Hong Kong’s total exports of goods and imports of goods decreased by 5.0% and 7.6% respectively. Details here.

Unemployment rate rises to 3.4%

February 18, 2020 - Hong Kong's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 3.4% in November 2019 - January 2020 from 3.3% in October - December 2019 (Feb 18). The underemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2% in the two periods. The labor market slackened further as economic conditions stayed weak, with the employment situation of the consumption- and tourism-related sectors (viz. retail, accommodation and food services sectors) remaining difficult. Details here.

Chartered flights arranged for cruise passengers

February 17, 2020 - Hong Kong SAR Government has arranged two chartered flights to bring home Hong Kong residents quarantined for the novel coronavirus onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Secretary for Security John Lee said (Feb 17) the two flights will leave Japan on Feb 19 and arrive in Hong Kong the following day. Hong Kong residents can board the flights once Japan authorities clear their blood tests. They will be placed under quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Hong Kong. Each chartered flight has more than 400 seats which are enough to cater for the some 350 Hong Kong people on the cruise, including 260 Hong Kong permanent residents, and 90 foreign passport holders. Details here.

Hongkong Post accords priority for surgical mask parcels

February 15, 2020 - Hongkong Post has accorded top priority to Speedpost items containing surgical masks on the principle of “surgical masks first”, with over 40,000 boxes of surgical masks items delivered in the past week (Feb 10-15). Hongkong Post has made special arrangements by re-deploying manpower from other divisions to speed up the processing of Speedpost boxes, along with Sunday deliveries and full resumption of daily mail delivery service so that parcels containing surgical masks can reach the hands of the recipients as soon as possible. Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung expressed his warm appreciation (Feb 17) to Hongkong Post for addressing the community’s pressing needs during this emergency period. Details here.

US$3.2 billion fund to fight viral outbreak

February 14, 2020 - The Hong Kong SAR Government will set up a HK$25 billion (US$3.2 billion) fund to help local residents and businesses tide over the coronavirus situation. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the initiative is a commitment to the people of Hong Kong. The Chief Executive stressed that Hong Kong was facing an almost unprecedented situation that was still evolving. "This time, the Government has taken some bold and decisive steps to help different sectors and to ensure that we can continue to undertake all the infection control measures that have been put in place," she said. Vowing that the Government would continue to work very hard based on its good public health experience, the expertise of its advisory panel, the dedication of colleagues, as well as the amount of resources it was prepared to put into the fight against the disease, Mrs Lam added that the measures were justified and took into account feedback from the public, various sectors and Legislative Council members. Details here.

Quarantine surveillance enhanced

February 12, 2020 - The Hong Kong SAR Government is enhancing surveillance (Feb 12) of people under the compulsory quarantine orders issued by the Department of Health (DH).The DH and Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will continue to make surprise phone calls and video calls and request real-time locations to the persons under quarantine. If those under quarantine fail to share their real-time locations via their mobile devices, they will be immediately requested to wear electronic wristbands so that the DH can monitor them. The Government is also strengthening manpower to assist the DH and the OGCIO in this joint effort to combat the novel coronavirus. The Government reiterated the importance of self-discipline by people under quarantine, urging them to strictly comply with the quarantine orders. Details here.

Past events