Hong Kong’s sudden decision to impose a 21-day quarantine for those arriving in the city has caused chaos for travelers and hotels.

The Hong Kong government tightened restrictions on Friday so that all persons coming into the city who have traveled outside China in the three weeks before their arrival have to undergo compulsory quarantines for 21 days in 36 designated hotels.

Occupancy at designated hotels was at around 40%, with cheaper hotels providing rooms for around HK$500 (US$64) per night being at almost 90% capacity, according to tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing. It would be difficult for people to extend their room bookings for seven more days, and the government should help arrange transport if people have to switch hotels, he said.

Anyone traveling to Hong Kong must show a confirmed room reservation at a designated hotel before they are allowed to board their flight. Most of more than 200 passengers in the Philippines were not allowed to board a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong because they were not able to show proof of their room bookings, said Teddy Chung, chairperson of designated hotel O’hotel.

Rooms at Chung’s hotel were almost full but he received calls from more than 200 customers on Friday morning asking to extend their bookings for seven more days — a request the hotel was unable to accomodate, Chung said. Many hotels faced a similar chaotic situation, he added.

The government should offer the flexibility for people arriving in Hong Kong before Jan. 20 to complete their 14-day quarantine in one hotel and finish the remaining seven days in another hotel, with transport arranged by the government, Chung said.

The new requirement also affected employers of foreign domestic workers. An employer told Apple Daily that his newly hired helper was barred from boarding a flight because she could not extend her stay at a designated hotel for seven days, and the government refused to be flexible about the matter. Another employer said a hotel refused to return the fees for a 14-day booking even though it could not provide a seven-day extension. The employer had to pay for a 21-day stay at another hotel.

The Hong Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association has recently received many calls asking about quarantine arrangements for helpers, said chairperson Betty Yung. Most employers agree with the extension of the hotel quarantine period as a precaution, but the government must step in to coordinate with hotels and transport, she said.

The government should also allow for flexibility in accepting those who have hotel bookings for 14 days to board flights to Hong Kong and make further arrangements after they land, Yung said. Prices at cheaper hotels have doubled to almost HK$1,000 per night, but many employers hoped their helpers would arrive before Lunar New Year and had no choice but to book the rooms, she added.

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