Public Asked To Report Quarantine Offenders Via App

The government on Tuesday asked people to report any violations of home quarantine orders to the police's e-report centre or via the mobile app Tell me@1823.

A spokesman said since the compulsory quarantine arrangement for people returning from abroad came into force last Thursday, 24 violators have been sent to camps, including 10 who were picked up on Tuesday.

He said people can also call their local police stations or the government's hotline 1823 to provide details of breaches.

The government request follows postings on social media showing people wearing quarantine wristbands out and about in public.

One video circulating online shows an alleged offender, a 13-year-old girl, wearing a quarantine wristband as she eats in a restaurant.

Police said they received a report about the girl at 10pm on Monday. The restaurant was in the Sha Tin hotel where the teenager was staying, but she should have been confined to her room. Following the alleged breach, the girl was taken to a quarantine centre in Fo Tan.

Police also caught a man who allegedly breached quarantine rules by going for a meal at a restaurant in Tsuen Wan. He was taken to hospital by ambulance after temperature checks revealed he had a fever.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that it’s disappointing and distressing to see so many people are ignoring the quarantine orders.

She said such people are being irresponsible, adding that the government will step up checks and prosecutions.