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HK set to lift mask mandate, isolation order for positive cases

18 January 2023

 By The SUN

CE Lee says he wants all restrictions lifted by the first quarter of 2023 (File)

Hong Kong is poised to remove the last pandemic restrictions, including mask wearing and compulsory isolation for those who test positive for Covid-19, before April this year at the latest.

This was announced by Chief Executive John Lee himself, during an interview with Hong Kong Commercial Daily yesterday.

“My hope in 2023 is to remove all Covid restrictions,” CE Lee was quoted as saying. He added he wanted to see “all problems resolved in the first quarter” of the year.

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Unconfirmed reports today said the government is considering lifting the remaining restrictions after Chinese New Year, which runs from Jan 22 to Jan 25 this year.

Expected to go first is the isolation order for confirmed patients, which under current rules, requires them to isolate for at least five days, if they test negative on a rapid antigen test on days 4 and 5 of their confinement.

Failure to abide by this rule could result in them being prosecuted, and face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment.

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Once the isolation order is lifted, all quarantine and isolation facilities, as well as designated Covid clinics and the Hospital Authority’s teleconsultation service, will suspend their operations.

The mask mandate is not expected to be lifted as quickly, with reports saying it will likely stay until March or April this year.

CE Lee has said in various interviews that masking would likely be the last measure to be lifted because it has proven effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

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Currently, anyone caught not wearing a mask in public is liable to pay a fixed penalty ticket costing $5,000.

Hong Kong gave up most other restrictions in December, including forced quarantine for closed contacts and requiring a negative result for a PCR test for all new arrivals.

This was after China suddenly dropped its zero Covid policy amid a new surge in infections, and reopened its borders this month for the first time in three years.

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Meanwhile, reports say the government is likely to remove its PCR test mandate for those traveling between Hong Kong and the mainland ahead of the Lunar New Year which starts this Sunday.

Legislators lobbying for the scrapping of the test have reportedly told Chief Secretary Eric Chan that Hongkongers returning from the mainland are having difficulty getting the test done as many of the testing sites in China have been closed or their opening hours shortened.

Currently, travelers to and from the mainland will have to obtain a negative PCR test result up to 48 hours before crossing the border.

The planned lifting of the test mandate is expected to apply even for those traveling to the mainland.

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