Hong Kong quarantine extended to September

Hong Kong continues to forbid non-residents from entering the city.

Compulsory quarantine will be extended in Hong Kong until September 18, according to a government announcement on June 2. There is no change to the indefinite ban on non-residents flying into Hong Kong.

The announcement was made amid concerns of a growing cluster of locally transmitted coronavirus infections in the city. Six more cases were confirmed on June 2, including four in the local community. Two were classed as imported cases.

Mandatory 14-day quarantine will apply until July 7 for travellers from mainland China, Macau and Taiwan and until September 18 for arrivals from all other international destinations. The quarantine rulings were due to expire on June 7 and June 18 respectively.

However, secretary for Food & Health, professor Sophia Chan, said the government was now considering plans to relax some border controls.

“Given the environment is starting to stabilise, especially on the Mainland, we will now make plans to reopen some of the boundary control points,” she said, adding that this would be a complex process. 

“We have to consider each country and each region… and then look at the risk levels for each country. We can then gradually relax border control measures or travel restrictions as appropriate.”

She added that relaxing the mandatory quarantine would restore the movement of people from overseas and would help stimulate the local economy.

However, she warned that while the global pandemic remains “in a state or flux, we still need to restrict people’s movement between Hong Kong and certain places.”

Hong Kong’s current domestic health rules limiting public gatherings to groups of eight would also be extended for another two weeks at least. The restrictions were due to expire on June 4. Chief executive Carrie Lam said she was “very worried” about the recent outbreak, although Chan said that sporadic infections cases and small outbreaks in the community “were to be expected”.

Hong Kongers are encouraged to continue wearing masks and washing their hands and to seek a Covid-19 test immediately if they experience a fever or respiratory issues, no matter how minor.

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