Hongkongers can return home more easily now that SAR authorities have reclassified Covid risk assessments into high, medium and low.

Countries that were previously listed as extremely or very high risk previously are now labeled high risk. Hongkongers arriving from such countries, which include the United Kingdom, Brazil and Indonesia, can now return after getting the jabs and undergoing 21 days in quarantine.

Vaccinated arrivals from medium-risk countries, including the United States, France and Japan, can pay for antibody tests to shorten their compulsory quarantine period from 14 days to seven starting from August 18. The tests will be offered by private institutions, with results in about two days.

Arrivals from low-risk countries will have to quarantine for a maximum of seven days.

Yesterday also had Hong Kong confirming two imported Covid-19 cases, taking the SAR's tally to 12,014 with 212 deaths. One case involved a 30-year-old man who arrived from the United States on Friday. He developed Covid-19 symptoms the same day.

The man, who received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in the United States, was carrying the L452R variant, which can include the highly infectious Delta strain. The other sufferer was a 22-year-old woman who arrived from Japan on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, more restaurants have registered as type C and type D premises, covering vaccinated staff and customer numbers.

According to the Food and Health Bureau, more than 1,500 and 500 restaurants had registered for type C and type D status respectively by Thursday.

Under type C regulations, the number of people per table is capped at six and dine-in services can run until midnight, but all restaurant employees must have had the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Restaurants registered as type D can allow up to 12 people at a table and dine-in services can run until 2am. However, at least two thirds of customers must have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and staff must be fully vaccinated.

Yeung Wai-sing, the chairman of the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, said restaurants are hoping to host banquets next month and October - the peak season for wedding banquets.

Also yesterday, Macau's SAR-wide mandatory testing ended after a family of four were found to have contracted the Delta strain ended yesterday. Authorities said more than 716,000 people were tested, and all were negative.

Homecomings can be easier on risks rejig