HKJC Conditions of Entry to Club Premises take effect

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Conditions of Entry to Club Premises came into effect on 12 August 2022, setting out the grounds on which a person is refused access to any Club premises¹. The document was published by the Club on 30 August 2022¹.

Under the conditions, no person may access Club premises if, in the 7 days before the visit, they had common COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, malaise, dry cough, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell, skin rash or discolouration of fingers or toes¹. Entry is also refused to anyone who has tested positive or preliminary positive by PCR or rapid antigen test unless they have met the criteria for discharge from isolation or home quarantine, anyone currently subject to a government isolation or quarantine order, anyone the Club determines to be a close contact, and anyone residing with a person who has traveled outside Hong Kong and is under a compulsory quarantine order or undergoing home quarantine¹.

Further grounds for refusal cover people required to undergo testing under a compulsory testing notice or direction who have not been confirmed negative, and people who do not meet the prevailing Vaccine Pass requirement or hold a Vaccine Pass QR Code that is a "Red Code" or "Amber Code"¹. Visitors must report to the Club immediately if they test positive by PCR or RAT within 3 days after visiting any Club premises, and the Club states it may take disciplinary or other actions against those who fail to comply¹.

The conditions define close contacts as household members of an infected person, or individuals who, from 4 days before the infected person's first onset of symptoms or first positive test in an asymptomatic case, engaged with that person in mask-off activities such as eating, drinking or exercising together, or mask-on activities in close proximity for 30 minutes or longer, or in other circumstances as determined by the Club¹. Close contacts who have received at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and tested negative by RAT on two successive days, Days 6 and 7, may visit Club premises; those who have not received 2 doses may only use Club premises if they test negative by RAT on Day 14¹.

Where a compulsory testing notice requires more than one test, visitors cannot access Club premises until the first two tests are returned negative, and thereafter may use the premises except on the day of each subsequent test and until it is returned negative¹. Persons aged 12 or above who are unfit to receive COVID-19 vaccination for medical reasons must produce a COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificate in the government's specified form with a QR code¹. Persons below the age of 12 unaccompanied by an adult, or holding an overseas vaccination record without the relevant QR code, must make a declaration using the specified form available from the government webpage with the required proof¹.

What it means for players

The conditions govern access to Club premises, not betting accounts or the horse racing product itself. For members, guests and staff who attend Club premises in Hong Kong, entry depends on Vaccine Pass status, testing status and recent symptoms, and a positive test within 3 days of a visit must be reported to the Club. The Club states it may take disciplinary or other action against those who do not comply. The document does not set out how the conditions affect off-course betting branches, racecourse admission or online wagering, and no such detail has been reported in the conditions themselves. General background on gambling in the territory is set out in the site's guide to whether you can gamble in Hong Kong.

What happens next

From 1 September 2022, an overseas vaccination record without a declaration record issued at border control points or designated post offices will not be accepted¹. No further dated steps are set out in the conditions.