Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility

To curb COVID's community transmission, the Hong Kong government tried to isolate all patients, even those with no symptoms. Close contacts such as family members living in the same apartment could also be shipped away in case they get infected later. As a massive 5th wave swept Hong Kong in early 2022, the government decided to build a number of isolation facilities.
The Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility was built as the Penny's Bay centre reached 80% occupancy, providing over 2700 units in 4-storey blocks next to the cruise terminal. It opened in August 2022.
Eventually, 9 isolation facilities were built across the city.
As the government abandoned containment efforts and moved to living with the virus, the facility has emptied out, and talks of changing their use into transitional housing have faded.

In 2025, the vast quarantine camp was partially turned into a youth hostel. Named Runway 1331, it later evolved into 3 sections, some of which also welcome tourists of all ages. Managed by state-owned China Travel Service, hotel prices are very cheap by Hong Kong standards at under HKD$300 a night. Long-term tenants pay between $3000-6000 a month, which are competitive and on par with far worse conditions in sub-divided flats in older buildings.
The hotel room is about 200 square feet in size, which is fairly big. There is a small sofa, a large bed, and work desk. At the back is a kettle and fridge. Above and below the bed are many storage spaces. There are windows in both the front and back of the unit to improve ventilation, but the bathroom is quite small and poorly finished like in a public housing estate.
There is no daily housekeeping but staff will drop off a bag of goodies daily that include a toilet roll, tissue, toiletries, and disposable towels. The room was already equipped with slippers and a hair dryer.

Free shuttle buses run roughly every 30 minutes until the late evening to near Kai Tak station. These are large tourist coaches with space for large luggage beneath and are usually quite full throughout the day. Alternatively, there are public buses that depart next door at the cruise terminal, a short walk away. These run much later into the night.

After making my booking, I received a few emails with details on where to go, since this site is quite vast. My hotel was located in the blue zone and the check-in unit is just a short walk from the 2nd shuttle bus stop. It took a bit of time to find my building and not all buildings have opened yet.

The interior streets are all pedestrian-only and it is a very long walk from one end of the site to the other. Being exposed to the elements, be sure to bring an umbrella!

Despite the crowds for the buses, the site is generally quiet and empty. There are no shops or restaurants but there are vending machines and DIY laundry facilities.


To curb COVID's community transmission, the Hong Kong government tried to isolate all patients, even those with no symptoms. Close contacts such as family members living in the same apartment could also be shipped away in case they get infected later. As a massive 5th wave swept Hong Kong in early 2022, the government decided to build a number of isolation facilities. The Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility was built as the Penny's Bay centre reached 80% occupancy, providing over 2700 units in 4-storey blocks next to the cruise terminal. It opened in August 2022. Eventually, 9 isolation facilities were built across the city. As the government abandoned containment efforts and moved to living with the virus, the facility has emptied out, and talks of changing their use into transitional housing have faded. In 2025, the vast quarantine camp was partially turned into a youth hostel. Named Runway 1331, it later evolved into 3 sections, some of which also welcome tourists of all ages. Managed by state-owned China Travel Service, hotel prices are very cheap by Hong Kong standards at under HKD$300 a night. Long-term tenants pay between $3000-6000 a month, which are competitive and on par with far worse conditions in sub-divided flats in older buildings. The hotel room is about 200 square feet in size, which is fairly big. There is a small sofa, a large bed, and work desk. At the back is a kettle and fridge. Above and below the bed are many storage spaces. There are windows in both the front and back of the unit to improve ventilation, but the bathroom is quite small and poorly finished like in a public housing estate. There is no daily housekeeping but staff will drop off a bag of goodies daily that include a toilet roll, tissue, toiletries, and disposable towels. The room was already equipped with slippers and a hair dryer. Free shuttle buses run roughly every 30 minutes until the late evening to near Kai Tak station. These are large tourist coaches with space for large luggage beneath and are usually quite full throughout the day. Alternatively, there are public buses that depart next door at the cruise terminal, a short walk away. These run much later into the night. After making my booking, I received a few emails with details on where to go, since this site is quite vast. My hotel was located in the blue zone and the check-in unit is just a short walk from the 2nd shuttle bus stop. It took a bit of time to find my building and not all buildings have opened yet. The interior streets are all pedestrian-only and it is a very long walk from one end of the site to the other. Being exposed to the elements, be sure to bring an umbrella! Despite the crowds for the buses, the site is generally quiet and empty. There are no shops or restaurants but there are vending machines and DIY laundry facilities.

Hong Kong Photo Gallery