'Govt Will Review Social Distancing Enforcement'

Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Friday that her bureau will review the guidelines for social distancing rules following allegations of selective enforcement by the police.

The comment was made in response to a question by pan-democratic lawmaker Ray Chan during a panel meeting on health services in Legco.

Chan accused police of abusing their powers since a new law recently came into effect limiting the number of people allowed to gather in public places to four.

He asked why the police decided to investigate whether Civic Party legislator Tanya Chan violated the gathering ban by joining a meeting with around 40 bar industry representatives at the beginning of the month.

He questioned why the authorities felt the need to target such a high-profile figure in the first week of the new regulation, as the government had said that people were to be given warnings or reminders at first.

In response, the health secretary said she wasn't aware of any of the instances cited by Ray Chan.

She said that officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are responsible for enforcing social distancing measures in restaurants. Other agencies will enforce social distancing guidelines at other venues that fall under their purview, she said.

Sophia Chan said that her bureau has issued guidelines to other departments on how to enforce social distancing rules, saying officials should be clear as the regulations have been in place for some time now.

The DAB's Elizabeth Quat asked the minister when some of these measures could be eased, for example to allow restaurants to seat more than four people at a table.

Sophia Chan said that her bureau is aware of the concerns, and the government is monitoring the situation to ensure public safety.

Meanwhile, Labour Party legislator Fernando Cheung urged more clarity from the authorities ahead of May's "golden week", asking if any mainlanders planning on spending a five-day holiday in Hong Kong would be forced to undergo 14 days of quarantine upon arrival.

Cheung said although mainland authorities have discouraged people from going overseas, trips to HK are not considered to be "travelling abroad".

The Health Secretary said that the 14-day quarantine arrangement for mainland arrivals is due to expire on May 7, adding that the authorities will continue to monitor the situation closely.