DH appoints officers from disciplinary forces to assist in spot checks on persons under compulsory quarantine

     The Department of Health (DH) today (February 14) appointed officers from the Correctional Services Department (CSD), Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Immigration Department (ImmD) to assist in enforcing the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap 599C) so as to ensure that persons under compulsory quarantine stay at their dwelling places for the compulsory quarantine.
 
     Apart from persons exempted under the Regulation, the DH will issue quarantine orders to all people (including Hong Kong residents, Mainland residents and visitors from other places) entering Hong Kong from the Mainland and people who have been to the Mainland in the past 14 days preceding arrival at Hong Kong (even if they enter Hong Kong via other places). People under quarantine should stay at home or the dwelling places for a 14-day compulsory quarantine. Health officers and police officers are both authorised to enforce the Regulation.
 
     To strengthen the surveillance work on persons under compulsory quarantine, officers of the CSD, C&ED, the FSD and the ImmD will assist in spot checks on these people. During spot checks, the officers will wear their uniform or a vest of their respective departments and produce their warrant cards as an identity proof.
 
     Apart from conducting spot checks, the Government has various measures in place to monitor whether persons under quarantine are complying with the quarantine order. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer can make use of a location-sharing function of communication software and video calls to monitor the location of those under compulsory quarantine. The DH also makes telephone calls to persons under quarantine to ensure that they are staying at their dwelling places.
 
     All persons under quarantine must strictly comply with the quarantine order. The Government will demand anyone not staying at their place of quarantine at all times to either wear an electronic wristband or be transferred to a quarantine camp depending on the circumstances. The Government may consider prosecuting persons who do not comply with the quarantine order. People contravening the quarantine requirement are subject to a maximum penalty of imprisonment for six months and a fine of $25,000 upon conviction.