Govt To Impose Stricter Rules On Indonesian Arrivals

Visitors from Indonesia will be subject to tighter boarding and quarantine requirements from Monday, with the Hong Kong government saying the stricter arrangements are needed because of the unstable Covid-19 situation in the country involving more transmissible variants.

Starting from Monday, June 21, arrivals from Indonesia will need to have presented a negative Covid test carried out within 72 hours of the time of their flight and confirmation of a reservation at a designated hotel, where they will undergo 21 days of quarantine.

Upon arrival at the airport, they will be subject to the "test-and-hold" arrangement – only being allowed to board transportation to their hotel after another test and negative result.

The announcement of the stricter rules came as the Centre for Health Protection reported two imported Covid-19 cases, taking Hong Kong's tally since the start of the pandemic to 11,880.

The latest patients – women aged 28 and 39 – had flown into Hong Kong from Indonesia.

One of the women was asymptomatic, while the other developed symptoms on Monday.

The CHP also confirmed that an investigation into the source of infection for a 17-year-old girl found that a sample from pre-packaged frozen crocodile spare ribs imported from Thailand and found in her freezer had tested positive for Covid-19.

Authorities said they'd asked the vendor to stop sale of the product in question for the time being.

They have also stepped up testing measures to prevent the import of the virus through imported frozen goods, such as taking samples at the Airport Food Inspection Offices and cold stores of importers.

They said investigations and contact tracing are continuing as the testing for the remaining environment samples at the girl's home is being carried out.

The girl had contracted a mutated strain of the new coronavirus earlier this month, and her mother and sister subsequently contracted Covid-19.

On Monday, inspections were carried out at a pet shop in Mong Kok and an industrial estate in Tuen Mun that the girl visited to try and find the source of infection.

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