Hong Kong in talks with mainland China and Macau to mutually recognise quarantine served by cross-border travellers
- City’s health minister says this is to avoid doubling the 14-day isolation period of arrivals if they have valid proof of having served a similar stint in their previous location
- Discussions come amid a local slowdown in Covid-19 transmission
Hong Kong is in talks with mainland Chinese and Macau authorities to mutually recognise the health status of cross-border travellers to avoid doubling their Covid-19 quarantine periods.
The move came as the city considered relaxing border restrictions and social-distancing measures amid a slower spread of the coronavirus.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Saturday that authorities were in discussion with Guangdong province and Macau to craft a joint mechanism which could shorten the quarantine time for regional travellers.
“If an agreement is reached, for instance, someone has already completed a 14-day quarantine on the mainland and is coming to Hong Kong with valid proof of this, then the director of health could shorten the quarantine period here for this person [if test results] are negative,” Chan told a radio programme.
Two new infections end Hong Kong’s five-day streak of no cases
“So, will the mainland also recognise the 14-day quarantine [that a traveller has] served in Hong Kong? Will there be tests provided for these people? It is still under discussion.”
Currently, all travel permit holders arriving in Hong Kong from the mainland and Macau have to be quarantined at home for 14 days. Guangdong and Macau in March adopted similar measures requiring that all arrivals be quarantined for the same duration, among other restrictions.
Hong Kong ended its five-day streak of zero Covid-19 infections on Friday, the 100th day since the disease was first confirmed in the city, but there has been no local case since April 22. No new cases were reported on Saturday while the two on Friday were both imported.
Five more patients were discharged from hospital on Saturday, meaning 863 had recovered from the disease. Some 172 patients were still in hospital. There have been four fatalities.
Officials are facing calls to relax border control and social-distancing measures. While restrictions on land checkpoints with the mainland have been extended to June 7, Chan announced on Tuesday that cross-border students and business travellers whose work was “in the interest of Hong Kong’s economic development” would soon be exempted from quarantine.
She added that the government was considering relaxing the social-distancing rule limiting gatherings to only four per group at restaurants.
Under a law set up in late March, eateries also have to set their tables at least 1.5 metres apart. The regulation on restaurants, as well as a ban on public gatherings of groups of more than four, are set to expire on Thursday.
“A lot of operators pledged that if restaurants reopen, they will comply with social-distancing measures, and we of course welcome them to be self-disciplined,” Chan said. “For instance ... could we allow a family [of more than four] to dine together? We will consider that.”
Anti-government protests return to Hong Kong on Labour Day
She also defended police’s controversial use of social-distancing rules to disperse anti-government singalong protests inside shopping malls on Friday. Some were given penalty tickets from officers for flouting the four-person rule despite protesters claiming to have observed the measures.
Countering the criticism, police said demonstrators had gathered with “a common purpose”.
“The legislative intent is to discourage gathering amid the pandemic,” Chan said. “For each gathering, we have to judge on a case-by-case basis and see holistically what people are doing and for how long.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Board chairman Pang Yiu-kai said October would be a suitable time to start rebuilding Hong Kong’s travel image following the battering of the industry by the health crisis.
“Besides the Wine and Dine Festival, the Hong Kong Sevens – which is popular among tourists – has been postponed until October,” he said on another Saturday radio programme. “We hope to boost Hong Kong’s attractiveness by these eye-catching, large-scale events.”
But Pang added that since the pandemic was a global issue, tourism would not quickly rebound even if the city’s situation was under control.
Separately, more than HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) in government subsidies to property management employees had been approved, the Home Affairs Department said on Saturday. The subsidies come under the government’s anti-epidemic fund to salve the city’s battered economy. The money is expected to benefit 25,500 workers in the property management sector, including security guards.
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