'Not Many' Will Apply For Quarantine Exemption: Govt

A Food and Health Bureau official on Wednesday said he doesn’t think a lot of people will apply to be exempted from a mandatory quarantine imposed on travellers arriving from the mainland – even though the government is still working out details of the plan.

The bureau's deputy secretary Howard Chan told an RTHK programme that officials are still formulating the precise criteria for the exemption scheme announced on Tuesday – which will allow travellers with businesses whose activities are deemed ‘beneficial to Hong Kong’ to get out of a mandatory 14-day home quarantine when they cross the border from the mainland.

However, he thinks there are some obvious examples as to who would be eligible – including businessmen who have factories on the mainland but also have associated offices here in Hong Kong.

Allowing these people to continue with business operations would be beneficial to Hong Kong's economy, he said.

As to whether all staff of such companies can apply for the quarantine exemption, Chan said it may only apply to the boss, and key staff, adding that he doesn’t think many people will apply.

They would also be required to explain why they need to travel to and from the mainland, and for how long, he added.

Chan also said that even those who are granted the exemption would still have to carry out regular temperature checks and wear masks.

‘Non-essential entertainment’, he said, would be prohibited.

The authorities had also announced on Tuesday that cross-border students and teachers will be exempt from the mandatory quarantine arrangement, even though the Education Bureau have not yet announced when classes will resume.

Chan said the Education Bureau have yet to decide on a set date for students to return to school, but that they decided to include "cross-border students" as an exempted group just in case.

The government late on Tuesday evening gazetted the easing of restrictions on the two categories of mainland arrivals. At the same time, a mandatory 14-day quarantine arrangement for all mainland arrivals that was due to expire on May 7 has now been extended to June 7.