By The SUN
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| Lo tells legislators hotel quarantine cannot be junked because of the rise in infections (RTHK photo) |
Legislators have called on the government to scrap the
three-day hotel quarantine for inbound travelers and replace it with seven days
of health monitoring at home, to allow Hong Kong
to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of Covid-19 control.
Speaking at a Legislative Council health panel meeting early
on Friday, roundtable legislator Michael Tien said Hong
Kong is losing talents and businesses to neighboring places
because of its rigid pandemic control measures.
Health authorities meanwhile reported a daily infection
tally of 10,076, down by more than 1,000 from yesterday. They included 154
imported cases.
Tien said the government should adopt the so-called “zero
plus seven” policy as the number of imported cases has remained steady despite
a rising trend in local infections.
Current restrictions, dubbed “three plus four,” require
arriving passengers to spend three days in a designated quarantine hotel or
facility, then observe medical surveillance for the next four days as they
enter the community.
Tien said many people have serious
doubts about the government’s long-term Covid policy, which they feel has driven away talents and businesses from the city.
"I just have to think of Hong Kong
maintaining our status, or regaining our former status, instead of losing our
talent and businesses," he said.
Perry Yiu from the tourism sector agreed, saying the travel
industry has yet to gain from the “three plus four” scheme.
But in response, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the
hotel quarantine policy cannot be abandoned just yet because the number of
Covid-19 cases continue to rise on a daily basis.
"In terms of resuming quarantine-free travel with the
rest of the world, we need to consider the epidemic situation in Hong Kong and the impact on our economy. We need to let
the data speak,” he said.
At today’s press briefing, the Hospital Authority reported
eleven Covid patients, aged between 50 and 100, had died. Five of them received
no vaccination at all, and only four had taken the recommended three jabs.
There are now a total of 2,759 Covid patients being treated
at public hospitals and among them, 54 are critically ill and 59 are in serious
condition. Fifteen of those listed as critical are in intensive care units.
HA’s Dr Larry Lee took the chance to again call on parents
to get their children vaccinated, saying 25% of kids who catch Covid-19 end up
being taken to hospital. Eight of them have passed away amid the new surge in
infections.
Currently, 160 infected kids are being looked after in
hospitals, adding to the burden of the public health care system.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said
that as of this morning, 707 schools reported 1,171 new infections. Three
schools have been told to suspend a class in each, after at least two
infections were detected in them.
Chuang also warned against violating the health code
regulations, saying authorities are keeping a close eye on those who are meant
to stay at home under a red code, or avoid high-risk places such as restaurants
while being on a yellow code.
A total of 40 individuals have been found to have violated
the health code restrictions, and three have already been charged in cout. The
penalty for this violation is a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for up
to six months.
As a final reminder, Chuang asked everyone to avoid large family gatherings
during the Mid-Autumn Festival to prevent a renewed spike in the cases.
Among the 154 imported infections, the Philippines
topped the list of countries from which more than 10 cases were detected. The
others were the United States,
United Kingdom and Canada.
Of this number, 63 were detected at the airport, 53 during
hotel quarantine, 34 between days 4 and 7, and 4 afterwards, likely re-positive
infections because of the high Ct values.
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