It means travellers will no longer have to go straight into hotel quarantine upon arrival, and not will they have to provide evidence of a negative pre-flight test for Covid-19.

They will, though, have to test for Covid-19 on arrival, and will be subject to three days’ medical surveillance. After that, they will be required to self-monitor for a further four days.

Proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 will also be mandatory, as will self-testing for the first seven days after arrival.

Hong Kong has retained stringent Covid restrictions throughout the pandemic, much in the same way China has, amounting to some of the toughest in the world.

The developments, announced by Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee, have been welcomed by Cathay Pacific, which said the move would help drive a gradual resumption of travel to and from the country.

It plans to add more than 200 pairs of additional flights in October to regional and long-haul destinations, including resuming daily flights to several Japanese destinations.

"As Hong Kong’s home airline, we are fully committed to rebuilding the connectivity of the Hong Kong aviation hub," said the airline in a statement. "While we will continue to add back more flights as quickly as is feasible, it will take time to rebuild our capacity gradually."