Lawmakers Call For Ban On All Visitors To HK

Lawmakers across the political spectrum have demanded Hong Kong ban all non-residents amid the coronavirus pandemic, unanimously passing a motion calling for such a move, as well as for Covid-19 tests for all locals arriving home from overseas.

At a meeting of Legco’s health services panel, Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien asked Health Secretary Sophia Chan what the government was waiting for.

He said although the number of non-residents arriving in Hong Kong had dropped from 1,300 to about 600 after the new quarantine measures took effect on Thursday, the figure was still high.

Pro-government lawmaker Yan Chan also raised similar concerns. She asked if the authorities would test all people who come to Hong Kong for Covid-19.

The Democratic Party's James To questioned whether the SAR government would need Beijing’s approval before it could stop mainlanders from coming in.

In response, Sophia Chan said the government was keeping a close eye on the situation.

She said a lot of important decisions concerning the pandemic were made by a task force led by the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam.

She said the Chief Executive’s Office communicates with the mainland authorities when necessary.

The motion also urged the government to speak to hotel owners about using their premises to quarantine people.