HONG KONG - Hong Kong will cut in half the number of laboratory Covid-19 tests new arrivals must undergo starting next week. 

Travellers will be swabbed for testing at the airport, and then must arrange one additional nucleic acid test on their second day in the Asian financial hub, Under Secretary for Health Libby Lee said at a briefing on Thursday with reporters.

The other two tests, currently done on days four and six, will no longer be needed, she said. 

Daily rapid antigen tests for seven days are still required, she said. 

The move aims to reduce inconvenience for travellers, Dr Lee said.

The current strain of the virus circulating in the city has a short incubation period, allowing the early tests to uncover most of the infections, she said. 

The further easing of Hong Kong’s virus rules comes as the number of infections in the city is increasing sharply.

Locally acquired cases rose 29 per cent over the past week to an average of 5,884 a day, officials said.

Imported cases have remained relatively consistent, they said, and accounted for 7.6 per cent of all positive cases in the past seven days. BLOOMBERG