Coronavirus: easing quarantine measures won’t increase transmission risks, Hong Kong health minister says, as city logs 4,045 cases
- New quarantine arrangement, comprising three days in a hotel and four days at home, will be implemented from Friday
- Microbiologist suggests replacing current system with seven days at home under medical surveillance
A day after the government announced it was cutting the hotel quarantine period from seven to three days, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Tuesday said officials needed to assess the local epidemic situation and look into relevant data before completely scrapping the arrangement and allowing a week of home medical surveillance instead, as suggested by a leading microbiologist.
“We have yet to fully control the local situation and the figures are still maintained at the 4,000 mark. There is also a threat of new Covid-19 variants,” he said. “I believe that we cannot give such promises [to scrap hotel quarantine] at this moment.”
Hong Kong reported 4,045 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, 262 of which were imported, and three more deaths. The overall tally stands at 1,393,327 cases and 9,550 related fatalities.
