Hospital Authority To Relax Visitor Restrictions

The Hospital Authority is to relax visitor restrictions at some public hospitals as the coronavirus situation improves.

All visitors have been banned since the end of January to prevent a spread of Covid-19.

A chief manager with the Authority, Dr Ian Cheung, told RTHK that relatives of thousands of chronic patients at 16 rehabilitation hospitals would now be allowed to visit, but each patient can only have one relative visit for one hour per week.

The chairman of Hong Kong Patients’ Voices, Alex Lam, said the relaxation of the rules is a good start and a right balance between preventing infections and taking care of patients’ well-being.

He hoped the rules can be further relaxed as the coronavirus situation continues to improve.

He added that ban on visitors had been a “painful experience” for patients and their families.

“For months, they were unable to see their husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. They were desperate,” he said.

“Without the visits, the family members cannot bring food, magazines or books to the patients. Most importantly, the visit itself can help relieve the patient’s pain. This would also help the patient recover quickly,” he said.

A community organiser at Society for Community Organisation, Tim Pang, also welcomes the arrangement, but he thinks it comes a little too late.

He said he was told by some families that the condition of some patients, especially those who can't move or talk, had deteriorated.

"If there are new infectious diseases in the future, will the Hospital Authority adopt such an extreme approach again and ban all visits for such a long time?" he asked.