Macau could drop its mandatory hotel quarantine requirement on arrivals from Hong Kong as early as 10 December after it was revealed some border restrictions between Hong Kong and mainland China will cease.
Hong Kong media reported Thursday Hong Kong travellers would likely be exempt from quarantine measures when entering Guangdong Province from 10 December, although a daily quota of 1,000 people would be in place initially.
In response, Macau’s Health officials said they would maintain consistency in their border policy with Guangdong Province, meaning if Guangdong allowed Hong Kongers entry without quarantine then Macau would almost certainly do the same.
Reports stated that officials from Hong Kong and mainland China held a clearance meeting on Thursday where both agreed to the exemption arrangement. A final decision will be made by the Beijing government.
Under current arrangements, both Macau and Hong Kong require 14 days of mandatory quarantine for most visitors arriving from their neighboring SAR.
The proposed exemption comes six months after Macau was forced to dump a plan to implement a “blue health code” system for Hong Kong visitors due to a series of COVID-19 outbreaks in Macau.
Under the system, fully vaccinated visitors from Hong Kong would be allowed to enter designated hotels and resorts and make use of their dining and retail facilities. A total of 51 hotels had signed up to the scheme by 30 June.