David Hui: Suspend Crew Change Rules For Three Weeks

An infectious diseases expert who advises the government on its pandemic response says the administration should suspend for three weeks an arrangement that allows for unrestricted changing of ship crews in the SAR.

Sailors are among the groups who are exempt from a 14-day quarantine requirement imposed on most people arriving in the SAR, but the rule has come under scrutiny after six vessels with 140 sailors onboard were forced to quarantine off Lamma Island after six crew tested positive.

Chinese University expert David Hui said the exemption for sailors, many of whom come from countries with high rates of Covid-19 infection, was a cause for concern after Hong Kong reported record coronavirus totals for three consecutive days.

"When Hong Kong is actually facing a major crisis, I think this crew change arrangement can be temporarily stopped for thee weeks so that we can focus on managing the outbreak," he said on Saturday.

"These sea crew coming from Europe, India, the Philippines and other places, they do have some risk of bringing in the infection to Hong Kong."

At present, sailors are tested when they arrive, but they're only placed under medical surveillance, rather than quarantine.

Hui suggested three options: requiring crew to stay in hotels until they get their test results; forcing sailors to leave within 48 hours of their arrival, as happens in Singapore, or temporarily suspending the exemption from the 14-day quarantine requirement.

Several health experts have called for a review of the quarantine exemption in recent days. Microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said the government should immediately withdraw it.

Communicable diseases expert Leung Chi-chiu also said Hong Kong authorities needed to ensure that ship crews were not moving about freely as they await test results. However he said crews supplying vital goods to the SAR should not have to undergo quarantine.