HONG&nbsp;KONG&nbsp;(Reuters) -Arrivals in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;will be free from&nbsp;COVID-19 movement restrictions from Wednesday and no longer barred from certain venues, Chief Executive John Lee said, and the city will also scrap use of a government-mandated&nbsp;COVID-19 mobile&nbsp;application.
The news of a further loosening of&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;curbs&nbsp;in the global financial hub, which has trailed most of the world in easing them, is set to boost resumption of travel and business.
An amber code issued to international arrivals for their first three days in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;meant they were not allowed to eat or drink inside bars and restaurants.
From Wednesday the&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;will be allowed to all locales provided they test negative for&nbsp;COVID-19 on arrival, Lee said.
The government's move to scrap its mobility-tracking&nbsp;app&nbsp;governing access to restaurants and venues such as gyms, clubs and salons, comes after mainland China dropped the requirement.
Business groups, diplomats and many residents had slammed&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong's&nbsp;COVID-19 rules, saying they threatened its competitiveness and standing as an international financial centre.
The rules have weighed on&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong's economy since early 2020, speeding up an exodus of businesses, expatriates and local families that have left amid a drive by Beijing to more closely control the former British colony.
(Reporting by Clare Jim and Farah Master; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Tom Hogue)

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Hong Kong drops curbs on incoming travellers, scraps COVID app