London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Hong Kong’s next airport antibody test phase ‘delayed by rise in Delta cases’

Hong Kong’s next airport antibody test phase ‘delayed by rise in Delta cases’

Tests that will offer shorter quarantine for travellers arriving from places such as US, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan delayed by two weeks as city anxious to protect streak of ‘zero infections’.

In a blow to travellers and airlines, Hong Kong has decided to delay by two weeks a plan to offer shorter quarantine periods to vaccinated arrivals who clear a coronavirus antibody test at the airport, the Post has learned.

The tests will not be introduced at the end of this month as planned, sources said, as city authorities are concerned about the rising number of Covid-19 infections overseas triggered by the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The postponement comes on top of a recent U-turn by the authorities on a proposal to allow fully vaccinated residents to return from extremely high-risk countries like Britain, which are subject to a flight ban by Hong Kong.

What has become clear is that the city’s administration is giving priority to reopening cross-border travel with mainland China, which wants assurance that Hong Kong is coronavirus-free.



Achieving Beijing’s requirement of “zero infections” will make it harder for Hong Kong to reopen to the rest of the world, given soaring infections elsewhere caused by the Delta variant.

Hong Kong began a first phase of antibody testing for fully vaccinated travellers last month. Those who cleared the test at an officially recognised laboratory within three months of leaving Hong Kong would have their quarantine period shortened to seven days upon returning.

The test shows whether people have antibodies, the proteins in their blood that fight the virus, an indication of their vaccination status.

Under the expanded scheme that has now been delayed, travellers at the Hong Kong International Airport could have an antibody test done upon arrival and get the result at their quarantine hotel within 24 hours.

Those who cleared the test would have their quarantine period shortened, a source said.

Travellers have to pre-book the antibody test, which costs about US$100 (HK$780). The rate is higher than the HK$500 normally charged by a lab given the operational and logistics costs of doing it at the airport.

The scheme does not endorse test results from overseas labs.

A second phase of the antibody testing scheme was expected at the end of this month for fully vaccinated travellers from medium to high-risk countries such as Canada, Japan, Singapore and the United States, as well as self-ruled Taiwan.

Those who clear the test would have their hotel quarantine period halved from 14 days to seven.

Fully vaccinated travellers from Australia and New Zealand, the lowest-risk countries, already serve a seven-day quarantine upon arrival.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory medicine expert at Chinese University and government adviser on the pandemic, was not surprised by the authorities’ change of heart about extending the antibody test scheme.

“They are concerned about the decreased vaccine effectiveness,” he said, pointing to the fact that even fully vaccinated travellers have been turning up in recent weeks and testing positive for Delta, regarded worldwide as a variant of concern.

“They are aware that even with vaccinations, it is imperfect. The variant of concern could cause a problem for Hong Kong,” Hui said.

As of Saturday, the city has gone 47 days since it last recorded a locally infected case, although infections continue to be imported.

Hong Kong has now confirmed a total of 11,975 infections and 212 related deaths, with 61 imported cases logged in the past month and two found to be epidemiologically linked to imported cases.

The Food and Health Bureau did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×