DH uploaded list of buildings of persons under compulsory quarantine

     The Department of Health (DH) today (February 28) announced that a list of buildings where persons under compulsory quarantine pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (the Regulation) are conducting quarantine has been uploaded onto the Government’s "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/).
 
     Starting February 8, save for persons exempted under the Regulation, the DH will issue quarantine orders to all persons, including Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents, entering Hong Kong from the Mainland or have been to the Mainland in the past 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong. Thus far, the vast majority of them are Hong Kong residents conducting quarantine at home while some are conducting quarantine at hotels or at quarantine camps (Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre and Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre) under individual circumstances for the 14-day quarantine.
 
     By requiring the persons under quarantine to stay at their dwelling places for 14 days, the measure aims to reduce two-way cross-boundary people flow between the two places. Persons under quarantine are not allowed to leave Hong Kong within the quarantine period. They are required to measure body temperature on their own on a daily basis to monitor their health condition. If fever or other symptoms arise, they may call the Centre for Health Protection’s hotline. Upon assessment, they will be arranged for treatment in hospital if necessary.
 
     Persons under quarantine at home, hotel or quarantine camps are asymptomatic and have passed body temperature screening upon arrival in Hong Kong, and have not visited Hubei Province 14 days preceding their arrival.  They are not close contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19. Thus far, no person under compulsory quarantine became confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the quarantine period.
 
     Contravening the compulsory quarantine requirement is a criminal offence. Offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. Thus far, the majority of the persons under quarantine have been cooperative and stay at their dwelling places. Also, the Government has various measures in place for monitoring the compliance. While officers from disciplinary forces would assist in spot checks, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer would make use of a location-sharing function of communication software and electronic wristbands to ensure that persons under quarantine are staying at their dwelling places.
 
     The Centre for Health Protection has also provided guidelines on personal and environmental hygiene (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/nid_guideline_general_public_en.pdf; www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/advice_for_properties_management_for_nid_of_public_health_significance_eng.pdf) to keep the public and property management companies updated on the latest development.