Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/HONG KONG: Hong Kong announced to cancel its stringent COVID-19 rules from Thursday, city leader John Lee said, meaning that the arrivals could no longer need to do mandatory PCR tests.
All Covid-related measures could be cancelled on Thursday except for wearing masks, Lee told a media briefing on Wednesday.
Hong Kong Sufficient Medicine
He said that Hong Kong has sufficient medicine to fight Covid-19, and healthcare workers have gained rich experience in coping with the pandemic.
The announcement comes after Lee said earlier that Hong Kong could reopen its borders with mainland China by mid-January.
Hong Kong’s vaccine pass, imposed in February as a pre-requisite for citizens to access most venues in Hong Kong, will also be done away with from Thursday. Public distancing rules including the gathering of more than 12 people would also be scrapped from Thursday.
For nearly three years, Hong Kong has largely followed China’s lead in tackling the novel coronavirus, with both places being the last stronghold in adopting a zero-COVID policy.
