Government announces arrangements for Come2hk Scheme

     The Government today (September 14) announced the implementation details of the Come2hk Scheme. Starting from September 15 (Wednesday), non-Hong Kong residents coming from Guangdong Province and Macao, upon fulfillment of all the specified conditions under the Come2hk Scheme, can be exempted from compulsory quarantine upon entry into Hong Kong.
 
Eligibility criteria for booking a quota
 
     Any non-Hong Kong resident who has not stayed in places other than Hong Kong, Guangdong Province or Macao, or any places listed on the List of At-risk Places Temporarily Inapplicable under the Return2hk / Come2hk Scheme, in the past 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong (not including any period during which a person undergoes compulsory quarantine in Guangdong Province or Macao under the prevailing requirement of that place) may apply for a quota to enter Hong Kong through the online booking system of the Come2hk Scheme. Non-Hong Kong residents with a quota must enter Hong Kong on the date and via the boundary control point as specified in the booking, and present valid proof of negative nucleic acid test result that is obtained within three days prior to or on the day of entry into Hong Kong, in order to be exempted from the compulsory quarantine requirement upon their arrival in Hong Kong.
 
Quotas
 
     To ensure the smooth operation at boundary control points, a quota arrangement will be put in place during the initial stage of the implementation of the Come2hk Scheme. A daily quota of 1 000 each has been set for the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port.
 
Online booking before entry into Hong Kong
 
     Regardless of whether a non-Hong Kong resident opts to enter Hong Kong via Shenzhen Bay Port or the HZMB Hong Kong Port, he/she must apply for a quota through the online booking system of the Come2hk Scheme. The online booking system will be open for application starting from September 15 at 00:00 midnight. Quotas for the next cycle will be open for booking every Wednesday at 00:00 midnight. Quotas are administered on a first-come-first-served basis.
 
     When applying for quotas, applicants are required to provide personal information including their name, gender, date of birth, valid travel document number for entry into Hong Kong, a mobile phone number which can receive SMS in the Mainland or Macao, and a specified entry date and boundary control point (i.e. Shenzhen Bay Port or the HZMB Hong Kong Port). Applicants must be 18 or above and can make applications for no more than three accompanying non-Hong Kong residents in each application. Applications for non-Hong Kong residents who are under 18 should be made on their behalf by their parents or guardians, with their personal information provided. 
 
Arrangement for taking COVID-19 test
 
     The Government spokesman reminded applicants that non-Hong Kong residents with a quota should allow sufficient time for taking the COVID-19 nucleic acid test at one of the medical testing institutions that is mutually recognised by the governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong / Hong Kong and Macao (details of the medical testing institutions in Guangdong Province can be accessed via the nucleic acid testing organisation enquiry function on the State Council Portal Mini Program, or via its official website (bmfw.www.gov.cn/hsjcjgcx/index.html); whereas the list of recognised medical testing institutions in Macao is available at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_MO.pdf), so that they can present valid proof of a negative nucleic acid test result when entering Hong Kong. Relevant medical testing institutions will upload the nucleic acid test result of the tested persons to the “Yuekang Code” or “Macao Health Code” system, which will be regarded as valid proof of a negative nucleic acid test result.
 
Entry procedures
 
     Non-Hong Kong residents with a quota must enter Hong Kong on the date and at the boundary control point specified in the booking. They should bring along the valid travel documents which they provided in the quota application, and comply with other normal immigration requirements. To shorten the time for the clearance process, the Government suggests that travellers should transmit a valid negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result to the electronic health declaration system of the Department of Health (DH) through the "code conversion" function on "Yuekang Code" or "Macao Health Code", and complete and submit the health declaration before arriving at the boundary control point. A Come2hk "Green" QR code will be issued to those who have fulfilled all the specified conditions, with which they can be exempted from the 14-day compulsory quarantine requirement upon their arrival in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the concerned persons must undergo compulsory nucleic acid tests at a community testing centre (CTC) or recognised local medical testing institution on the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th day following their arrival in Hong Kong if they are still in Hong Kong, and the test to be taken on the 19th day must be conducted at a CTC.
 
     "To expedite the clearance process, a dedicated channel will be set up at the boundary control points for the use of travellers with a Come2hk 'Green' QR code. We strongly advise non-Hong Kong residents coming to Hong Kong under the Come2hk Scheme to complete the code conversion process to obtain a Come2hk 'Green' QR code within 24 hours before their trip to Hong Kong to facilitate the entry procedures. Persons who cannot complete the code conversion must bring a paper report of their negative nucleic acid test result and present it for inspection at the boundary control point when they enter Hong Kong," said the Government spokesman.
 
     "If a traveller receives a Come2hk QR code of a different colour (e.g. pink) after transmitting a valid negative nucleic acid test result to the electronic health declaration system of the DH through 'Yuekang Code' or 'Macao Health Code', it means that he/she has yet to fulfil all the specified conditions, and may thus be subject to compulsory quarantine upon entry into Hong Kong."
 
     To facilitate the entry procedures for non-Hong Kong residents, the Government has produced user guides on code conversion. The hyperlinks are as follows:
 
     Steps to complete the health declaration of DH through "Yuekang Code":
www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/Come2hk_Code_Conversion_GD_en.pdf
 
     Steps to complete the health declaration of DH through "Macao Health Code":
www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/Come2hk_Code_Conversion_MO_en.pdf
 
     The Government spokesman stressed that non-Hong Kong residents who are coming to Hong Kong under the Come2hk Scheme and can fulfil all the specified conditions should continue to exercise self-monitoring of their health condition after their entry into Hong Kong, and observe the points listed in the "Health-monitoring Checklist for Inbound Travellers". With the increasing use and wide application of Hong Kong's LeaveHomeSafe (LHS) mobile application, the spokesman also reminded non-Hong Kong residents who are coming to Hong Kong under the Scheme to download and use the LHS application. Details are available at www.leavehomesafe.gov.hk.
 
     The spokesman reminded non-Hong Kong residents who are coming from Guangdong Province and Macao that they might still be subject to the prevailing quarantine arrangements of Guangdong Province or Macao (e.g. 14-day compulsory quarantine) when they subsequently return to the two places. They should take note of the latest quarantine arrangements of Guangdong Province and Macao and make necessary preparations.
 
     Details of the Come2hk Scheme are available at the "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (link: come2hk.gov.hk or 來港易.政府.香港).  Travellers may also call the hotline of the Come2hk Scheme at 3142 2330 if they have any enquiries.