The latest epidemic prevention policies for traveling from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau have been fully opened. Do you need to quarantine or take a nucleic acid test when going to Macau?

Hong Kong, once thought to have “given up,” although it has gone through a wave of ups and downs in the epidemic and has gradually reopened, still maintains some preventive measures, some of which may be stricter than those on the mainland.

The nearly 90,000-word regulation covers all aspects of epidemic prevention and control

Hong Kong is good at formulating rules and executing them within frameworks, though sometimes it lacks a bit of flexibility.Hong Kong Fax (WeChat ID: PressHK) calculated that the most important regulation for epidemic control in Hong Kong — the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599) and its subsidiary regulations — contain nearly 90,000 words. When including regularly updated supplementary notices, the total word count is comparable to a novel. Moreover, Hong Kong has consistently enforced and penalized violations without pause.

Overall, Hong Kong currently maintains strict enforcement of regulations regarding vaccination, mandatory testing, quarantine, and mask-wearing. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

01

Mandatory Vaccination, Otherwise You Can't Go Anywhere (Chapter 599L)

When it comes to vaccination, Hong Kong takes a much tougher stance than the mainland. Not getting vaccinated could mean you can’t even go to a restaurant.

This is because Hong Kong has adopted a different health code model from mainland China — the Vaccine Pass.Mainland designated venues check nucleic acid test results to see if a person is confirmed infected or at risk of infection, while Hong Kong checks whether you have been vaccinated and have COVID-19 protection.

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The Vaccine Pass is regulated under Chapter 599L, which empowers the Director of Health of Hong Kong to issue directives regarding the Vaccine Pass. These directives specify the number of vaccine doses individuals must receive within certain timeframes to enter designated venues, as well as the responsibilities of venue operators to check the Vaccine Pass. They also outline penalties for those who refuse to comply when asked to present their pass.Those who violate the relevant regulations may face a maximum penalty of six months in prison!

Currently, the Vaccine Pass has become a standard requirement for travel in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government also periodically updates the requirements to ensure that residents comply with vaccination regulations.

02

Masks must be worn when required, otherwise a fine of 10,000 HKD applies (Cap. 599I)!

Wearing masks in designated places is also written into Hong Kong law, and violators will be fined 10,000 HKD.

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This photo shows a scene from a Hong Kong Police operation a few weeks ago in Sha Tin. The operation, codenamed “ALLTRAIL,” resulted in the arrest of 31 people for violating gathering or mask mandates.

Similarly, during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival period (September 9–12), the Hong Kong Police issued 272 fines for violations of the “Mask Mandate” and arrested five persons in charge of food and beverage establishments.

Today (December 8) there are reports that Hong Kong will further relax epidemic prevention measures, but the “mask mandate” is not among the changes.

In other words, Hong Kong is likely to continue enforcing mask-wearing regulations strictly.

Of course, some people also say that the current “mask mandate” is somewhat ineffective. For example, during the previously held Rugby Sevens international tournament, although the Hong Kong government allowed spectators to eat in the stands and mandated mask-wearing when not eating, it was almost impossible to enforce these rules strictly on site.

03

Limits on gathering sizes, number of people per table in restaurants (Under Regulations 599F and 599G)

Hong Kong has indeed relaxed restrictions, but did you know that gatherings of more than 12 people may break the law, and not only incur fines but also carry a maximum prison sentence of 6 months!

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This regulation, like the "mask mandate," works alongside Regulation 599F (Business and Premises Regulation), empowering the Secretary for Food and Health to prohibit group gatherings in public places.

Moreover, the regulation also specifies the types of group gatherings that may be permitted by the Chief Secretary for Administration (the superior of the Director of Health), as well as how gatherings in specific sectors (such as tour groups) are managed.

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Regarding the limit on the number of people gathering at designated venues, Hong Kong regulates this through Chapter 599F and determines details through “Special Announcements” issued under this chapter—for example, no more than 12 people per table at restaurants, no more than 6 people per table at bars, and no more than 240 people at the same banquet event, among other rules.That’s right. Although Hong Kong has lifted dine-in restrictions, it still limits the number of people. But as long as you don’t violate the rules—for example, exactly 12 people dining at the same table or a gathering of exactly 240 people—police won’t issue fines.

More interestingly, both the Cap. 599G and Cap. 599F regulations state that when the Secretary for Health specifies the duration of gathering restrictions or limits on the number of diners per table, the maximum period cannot exceed 14 days.

Therefore, the Hong Kong government needs to disclose the implementation details of the next phase in advance — for example, “there will be no policy changes within 14 days after the next effective date,” or “the next 14 days will see further relaxation or tightening” — to give residents and related industries time to adjust to the changes.

04

Mandatory testing, heavy fines for non-compliance (Cap. 599J)

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Let’s first look at yesterday’s (December 7) news: Hong Kong has fined nearly 1 million Hong Kong dollars in total over the past week to those who violated mandatory testing rules... Mandatory testing is a key part of Hong Kong’s epidemic prevention strategy. For example, when a building is designated for mandatory testing, residents must complete the test within a specified time frame.

This is regulated under Chapter 599J, and under this chapter, the scope of mandatory testing is not limited to high-risk buildings. According to the regulations, the people who can issue mandatory testing orders are either the Secretary for Health or a registered medical practitioner.

It is worth noting that licensed doctors have significant authority in issuing mandatory testing orders. If a doctor issues a mandatory testing instruction based on clinical judgment suspecting someone has contracted a specified disease, only that same doctor can lift the mandatory testing requirement.

For those who do not comply with mandatory testing, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 6 months.

05

Home quarantine and community quarantine are still in effect in Hong Kong (under Chapter 599A)

As seen in the news, not long ago, after the Hong Kong Chief Executive returned from an overseas business trip and tested positive, he and his close contacts immediately underwent home quarantine in accordance with regulations.The relevant regulation is Cap. 599A.

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According to the latest guidelines issued by the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection on October 31, confirmed cases and their close contacts are required to undergo at least seven days of home quarantine. Those who are unable to quarantine at home may go to community isolation facilities.

Starting from the early hours of December 9, the quarantine period for confirmed cases and close contacts will be reduced to five days.

Those who violate quarantine orders may face fines or even imprisonment. Just three days ago, Hong Kong handed down such a sentence.

Now let’s talk about Chapter 599A, where Article 32 is the most frequently cited during sentencing—no one shall put others at risk of infection.

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In addition to these, there are other subsidiary regulations under Chapter 599, some of which govern cross-boundary transport and arrivals, while others regulate the use and approval of vaccines.

In Hong Kong, can you roam freely after testing positive? Not at all.As for the adjustment of entry quarantine measures from “14+7,” “7+3,” “5+3” to “0+3,” these were all made under relevant ordinances via special announcements. These special announcements are displayed in the remarks of the relevant regulations, but the regulations themselves still grant the Secretary for Health the authority to adjust related measures at any time.

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1. Residents should truthfully declare their travel history and closely monitor changes in risk areas on the mainland and adjustments to related preventive measures. Mainland risk areas can be checked on the website of the National Health Commission: http://bmfw.www.gov.cn/yqfxdjcx/risk.html or through the mini-program of the State Council client.

2. ,:

• ()https://app.ssm.gov.mo/specialgrouprnatestbook;

• ()https://eservice.ssm.gov.mo/rnatestbook.

3. You may not travel from Macao Special Administrative Region to mainland China before your Macao health code turns “green.”