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| HK will shut its airport to non-residents, except those from China, Macau and Taiwan, starting Wed, Mar 25 |
The only non-residents to be allowed in are those arriving from mainland China , Taiwan
and Macau , as long as
they had not traveled to a third country in the past 14 days. However, they
will all be put under quarantine for 14 days on arrival, as has been the rule
for all other new arrivals since Mar 19.
A special contingency measure has been put in place for
returning Macau residents who have no alternative way to go home than to fly
through Hong Kong . They will be allowed to fly
into Hong Kong airport, but will be taken straight to Macau
by coach to be provided by Macanese authorities.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the announcement on Monday,
Mar. 23, during a press conference at the government’s headquarters.
Lam called on Hong Kong
residents to be on guard against further contagion and pledged to “fight the
battle seriously and have confidence to win one day”.
However, she stopped short of heeding a clamor to order the
8,600 pubs, restaurants and clubs in Hong Kong
to shut down, and instead unveiled a plan to forbid the sale of liquor in the
establishments.
She said the government would look at ways to impose a
temporary ban on the sale of liquor, but gave no definite time frame.
“In restaurants, meals can still be served [minus alcohol]
... in bars, people sometimes get intimate after drinking, and this will raise
the risk of cross-infection,” Lam said.
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| CE Lam says pubs and restaurants will not be allowed sell liquor temporarily |
She made the announcement after no less than 10 confirmed
cases were traced to bars and a gym in Central’s nightlife hub, Lan Kwai Fong,
in the past few days.
They included a 29-year-old Filipino musician who had gigs
in clubs in the area, and was confirmed to have the virus Sunday night.
Another 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases were confirmed today,
Monday, Mar 23., taking Hong Kong ’s total
tally to 356. Of these new cases, 30 involved newly arrived residents.
Three Filipina domestic workers were also part of the new
cases, but it was not immediately clear if they had just arrived in Hong Kong , or were close contacts of infected patients.
The new cases also included a doctor who briefed arriving
travelers on quarantine procedures at Hong Kong International
Airport
Lam also warned of tougher penalties on those who flout
mandatory quarantine rules, including those who remove their electronic wristbands
to elude detection.
“The situation has been changing rapidly. Throughout these
two months, we’ve gone through many stages. Efforts have been effective in
preventing a major community outbreak. The number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong is lower than that of many overseas countries.
This achievement is hard-earned,” Lam said.
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| The new travel restriction could cause more airlines to stop flying to HK |
But she said the number of recent imported cases and
residents becoming relaxed about precautionary measures had prompted the
government to take drastic measures.
“We will continue to fight the battle and will need the
collaborative efforts of everyone. We will fight the battle seriously and have
confidence to win one day,” she said.
Police, aided by electronic monitoring systems, have intercepted
five persons who had gone outside their homes in violation of their quarantine
order. Two had removed or cut off their electronic wristbands.
A further 36 are still missing after leaving their
quarantine addresses, and are now being hunted.
The CHP said all the five violators who were caught have
been sent to quarantine centers, while prosecutors have begun investigating
their cases.
Globally, the total number of cases is now close to 340,000
with more than 15,000 deaths and 96,000 recovered patients.
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