The Government has decided to convert 13 hotels, which were earlier turned into community isolation facilities (CIFs), back to designated quarantine hotels (DQHs) to provide over 4,400 rooms to meet the demand of Hong Kong residents returning from overseas.

It said the decision was made after assessing the supply and demand as well as the usage of the CIFs.

From April 1, the place-specific flight suspension mechanism for nine countries will be lifted and the quarantine arrangement for Hong Kong residents returning from overseas will also be adjusted.

In anticipation of the growing number of returning Hong Kong residents, the Government will increase the supply of DQHs in an orderly manner to meet the demand while guarding against the importation of COVID-19 cases.

Apart from the 13 DQHs which will begin services progressively from April 1, the Government has also asked existing DQHs to release around 500 blocked-off rooms.

There will be a total of 38 hotels offering over 10,000 rooms for selection by Hong Kong residents returning from places other than the Mainland and Macau.

Separately, three hotels which are currently used as isolation facilities will be reserved for foreign domestic helpers to undergo quarantine starting April 1.

Along with one existing designated quarantine facility for helpers, there will be four hotels which provide about 1,600 rooms for their quarantine use.