The Government announced today (May 4) the mechanism for Hong Kong enterprises with manufacturing operations in the Mainland to apply for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangement. The Trade and Industry Department (TID) has started processing applications from today.
The Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong (Amendment) (No.2) Regulation 2020 commenced on April 29, 2020, amending the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (amended Regulation). The expiry date of the amended Regulation has been extended to June 7, 2020. In accordance with the newly added section 4(1)(b) in the amended Regulation, the Chief Secretary for Administration may designate any person or category of persons for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangement if he is satisfied that the person's or persons' travelling is necessary for purposes relating to manufacturing operations in the interest of Hong Kong's economic development.
In accordance with the above-mentioned provision, the Chief Secretary for Administration has exempted the following categories of persons from the compulsory quarantine arrangement with effect from May 4, 2020:
(a) either the owner of a Hong Kong enterprise with a valid business registration certificate issued under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) and with manufacturing operations in the Mainland, and up to one person employed and so authorised by the enterprise; or
(b) up to two persons employed and so authorised by such an enterprise as described in (a).
An exempted person must only travel to and stay in the city where the Mainland factory of his/her Hong Kong enterprise's manufacturing operations is located, for supporting the operation and business of that factory. The exempted person must take every precautionary measure to ensure personal hygiene and avoid unnecessary social contact whilst in the Mainland. After returning to Hong Kong, the exempted person will be subject to medical surveillance arranged by the Department of Health during his/her stay in Hong Kong, and will be required to wear masks and check body temperature daily, as well as to report to the Department of Health on any discomfort.
The details of the exemption arrangement are in Annex 1. The application form is in Annex 2. The application form is available for download from the website of the TID (www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/form/publicform/download.html).
Eligible Hong Kong enterprises should submit the completed application form with all required supporting documents to the TID by email (exemption@tid.gov.hk) or by fax (3525 0988).
In processing the applications, the TID may consult the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and/or the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong as well as the relevant bureaux/departments when necessary. The TID will issue authorisation letters to the exempted persons, setting out the conditions for exemption.
In addition, the TID will continue to process the exemption applications of another category of persons who are exempted in accordance with section 4(1)(a)(i) of the Regulation, i.e. "owners of or personnel employed and authorised by companies with factories in the Mainland which are engaged in manufacturing goods for supply to Hong Kong for its normal operation or for the daily needs of the people of Hong Kong". For this exempted category under section 4(1)(a)(i) of the Regulation, relevant persons whose applications have been submitted to the TID before May 4 and are still under processing do not need to submit fresh applications; the TID will also consider their applications in accordance with the exemption criteria of section 4(1)(b), i.e. the owners of or personnel employed and authorised by Hong Kong enterprises with "manufacturing operations in the Mainland in the interest of Hong Kong's economic development", which is in effect from May 4. Separately, those who have been issued with the TID's authorisation letters before May 4 in accordance with section 4(1)(a)(i) of the Regulation do not need to submit applications afresh; their exemption will continue to be valid.
For enquiries, please call the TID's hotline at 2398 5553.
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