Hong Kong Ends Hopes For Leisure Travel In 2020

With little fanfare, Hong Kong put out the final flames of any hopes for leisure travel to the remarkable Asian city in 2020. It’s not impossible, but unless you’ve got 14 spare days to enjoy quarantine, the extension of a variety of travel related orders means the new year is your new target.

Hong Kong Extends 14 Day Quarantine Through 2020…

Hong Kong quietly extended regulation 599E, which mandates 14 days of quarantine for all arrivals outside of China through December 31st, 2020. Originally, the mandate was set to expire on September 15th, but that’s no longer the case. The important move effectively ends any hopes for exploring the stunning city this year.

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While possibilities exist for broader entry of outside nationals, it’s now highly unlikely that any entry would be permitted to skip out on the full 14 day isolation period.

Crucially for Cathay Pacific, transit passengers will be allowed through Hong Kong International Airport, provided they are traveling on a single itinerary with connection times under 24 hours and with valid entry into a final destination.

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Macau, Taiwan and Mainland China are the only current visitors allowed in at all, but even these regional visitors must not have been elsewhere within 14 days of arrival and must also adhere to 14 days of strict quarantine on arrival in Hong Kong, with protocols and rules of enforcement.

Asia Off Limits for 2020

With the exception of the Maldives, which is wide open, and minor glimpses of hope for outside travel into Indonesia, Thailand or Cambodia, Asia is largely off limits for 2020 travel, with plans set to bar outside entries for the year, or multi phased road maps with timeframes for 2021, at best.

If you have travel booked to Asia, it’s better to let your travel provider cancel, rather than proactively cancel, since a cancellation from the airline or hotel is entitled to a full refund, whereas a proactive cancellation from the travel booker would only be due a voucher, at best.

It’s certainly sad to see another Asian country out of sight for 2020, but it’s absolutely understandable. To better times ahead, and until then, lots of staycations.