Extra Covid check at airport for mainland travellers

Travellers flying to the mainland were told on Saturday that they would have to take an additional Covid-19 test at the airport before flying to the mainland as Hong Kong attempts to prevent the spread of the virus across the boundary.

The government said in a statement that the new arrangement would take effect from Tuesday and apply to anyone heading to the mainland or Macao, and advised passengers to arrive up to six hours ahead of their departure time to ensure they could receive their test results.

“The additional rapid nucleic acid test must be conducted at the designated testing venue at the airport within eight hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the aircraft,” the statement said.

“However, the result of this special test cannot replace the proof of negative result of any self-paid nucleic acid test as currently required by relevant authorities of the Mainland and Macao.”

The tests will be available free, 24 hours a day, but must be booked in advance via the website.

A government spokesman said: “The process of the rapid PCR-based nucleic acid test will take about two to three hours. Currently, the check-in process by airline companies generally begin two to three hours prior to the scheduled time of departure.

“In order to ensure that relevant outbound travellers will have sufficient time to complete the check-in and clearance procedures after obtaining a negative test result, they should allow ample time for travelling to the airport and arrive at least five to six hours prior to the scheduled time of departure to undergo the test by following the instructions by the staff on site to avoid any delay to their journeys.”

Officials also reminded travellers that testing and quarantine arrangements remain in place at destinations on the mainland, and advised them to check the requirements in advance.