Among the latest cases was police chief Raymond Siu Chak-yee, who was previously infected in August. Security minister Chris Tang Ping-keung, customs chief Louise Ho Pui-shan, Commissioner for Correctional Services Wong Kwok-hing and fire services director Andy Yeung Yan-kin were all identified as close contacts and placed under home isolation.

Earlier this month the government announced that group tour visitors would soon be allowed to enter designated attractions including restaurants, theme parks and museums while undergoing their three-day medical surveillance period.

The move came as the government looked to strike a balance between epidemic risks and the need for economic development.

Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun, chairwoman of the Travel Industry Council, hailed the further relaxation of rules as a “good start” for making it easier for travellers to come to Hong Kong.

“We just hope to fight for the maximum easing of rules under the existing restrictions to provide convenience for inbound travellers. This serves as a pilot scheme for moving forward,” she said. “This is a good beginning but we don’t expect an influx of inbound travellers to Hong Kong.”

Under the revised rules, travellers joining licensed group trips who will stay in the city for fewer than four days will only need to undergo one PCR test upon arrival at the airport, but they still need to conduct daily rapid antigen screening.

“The rationale is if they stay for four days, there is no point in them doing a test on the third day as the result may not be back by the time they leave,” a government source said.

Who wants to visit Hong Kong under ‘0+3’? Not many people, travel agents say

Undersecretary for Health Libby Lee Ha-yun on Thursday said the decision was made after balancing the need for medical surveillance and the effect on travellers.

During the three-day medical surveillance period, group tour visitors can also dine in restaurants with immediate effect, but they are limited to segregated rooms or enclosed venues with full partitions or entire outside seating areas in designated venues preregistered by their travel agencies.

Staff will need to undergo extra PCR tests before and after receiving the inbound tour groups and they are not allowed to have meals in the same place as the travellers.

Tourists are also required to stay in hotels which offer quarantine services so they can be isolated on site if they test positive for the coronavirus.

Group tour visitors to Hong Kong can soon enter restaurants, public places

Venues that are open to such travellers include non-dining areas of theme parks, museums and event venues, as well as racecourses and places of worship. But they are banned from entering places where people take off their masks, such as nightclubs, gyms and swimming pools.

So far, only three tour groups have registered to visit Hong Kong since last week, when health authorities announced that travellers would be allowed to visit places for mask-on activities during their first three days in the city.

Most of the travellers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday afternoon were locals or foreigners here for business or family visits.

Those who spoke to the Post said the new measures were insufficient to attract tourists, given the anti-pandemic restrictions still in place.

If you were a tourist, would you choose Hong Kong or Singapore?

Retiree Kenneth Chan Kwok-ping, who flew in from Canada to visit family, said the policies were not friendly to tourists staying in the city for a short time. He had spent 15 minutes getting help from a staff member at the airport to enter his vaccination certificates into the “Leave Home Safe” app.

“Even as I disembarked from the plane, the atmosphere felt very unwelcoming towards guests as we were being ushered around to settle the paperwork. It didn’t feel like Hong Kong was ready to receive foreign tourists,” the 73-year-old said.

He also said that news about Hongkongers getting fined thousands of dollars for pandemic-related offences might also deter people from visiting.

Axing travel curbs only way to bring tour groups back to Hong Kong: sector leader

Brandon Lee, a visitor from Taiwan who was on a business trip, said Hong Kong was not a desirable tourist destination among his peers because Japan, South Korea and other countries in Southeast Asia were more open to foreigners.

“Even if we travel with a tour group, we are still restricted by the itinerary and daily tests,” the 35-year-old biotech industry worker said.

Max Vergani, 48, who was waiting for a friend flying in from Mongolia, said that even with the reduced PCR tests, it was still one too many.

“Most tourists are here on a short-term visa and only stay for a week, so if there are so many restrictions then what’s the point?” Vergani said. “They should just do away with all these and get things back to normal.”

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) chairman Pang Yiu-kai welcomed the new arrangements for inbound tour group visitors, saying they would help attract short-haul visitors.

“Becoming effective before the peak travel season of Christmas and Chinese New Year, the new arrangements will help bring back short-haul visitors to experience Hong Kong’s seasonal festivity, especially those from Southeast Asia,” he said.

Separately, the Hospital Authority on Friday announced that it would strengthen services at its seven designated clinics and teleconsultation sessions for Covid-19 patients amid a recent rise in infections, especially among elderly care home residents.

As a result, it would adjust services at its general outpatient clinics in Tseung Kwan O, Tsing Yi, North Kwai Chung, Tai Po and Tuen Mun from Saturday to free up manpower and resources.

Additional reporting by Lilian Cheng and Sammy Heung