London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×