More HK Residents Stranded In Hubei Return Home

About 280 Hong Kong people arrived home from Hubei on the latest charter flights organised by the government on Wednesday, as a lockdown in the province over the coronavirus was lifted.

The 281 returnees on board two flights were allowed to go home to self-isolate for two weeks.

The rescue mission was again led by Mainland Affairs Secretary Patrick Nip.

Speaking at the airport after returning on the second flight, Nip said the government believed these returnees were at a lower risk of infection, because they came from areas farther away from the virus' epicentre Wuhan, and the coronavirus situation on the mainland has significantly improved.

He added that the quarantine centres here should be reserved for close contacts of patients, most of whom returned from Europe and US recently.

Nip said three people were not allowed to board the charter flights because they could not pass the temperature checks, while one person changed his mind and decided not to fly back.

The government had already brought home 470 Hongkongers from Wuhan and the surrounding cities in a previous operation three weeks ago.