As Omicron cases continue to decline, both Canada and Hong Kong are easing their entry restrictions.

Canada drops pre-entry COVID testing

Currently, entering Canada by either land or air requires a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT, including PCR) taken within 72 hours. Since COVID testing is relatively expensive in North America, this has significantly increased the cost of entering Canada.

An updated notice on the IRCC website shows that starting on April 1, 2022, travelers entering Canada will no longer need to provide any test results. From that point on, the entry requirements for Canada will be fully consistent with the pre-pandemic period.

Hong Kong ends flight ban and reduces quarantine days

Since Hong Kong’s fifth wave of the pandemic, the city has barred passengers who had stayed in 9 countries from flying to Hong Kong on civil aviation flights (the route-specific flight suspension mechanism). Because the COVID situation in Hong Kong has now become extremely severe, with the risk of community transmission exceeding the risk of imported cases, yesterday (March 20), Carrie Lam announced that on April 1 Hong Kong will:

  1. Lift the flight ban on 9 countries
  2. Standardize inbound quarantine to 7 days; after 7 days, travelers only need to self-monitor their health and may go out

Note that only Hong Kong residents (or people who meet other exemption criteria) may still enter Hong Kong from overseas. If you want to find out whether you are eligible to enter, see the Hong Kong government’s COVID website.