Passengers donning face masks walk in the arrivals hall of the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong, March 18, 2020. (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - The government is set to test people considered to have high risks of coronavirus infection on their arrivals in Hong Kong in addition to requiring all arrivals from foreign countries to be quarantined for 14 days, a senior advisor said on Wednesday.
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Speaking on a radio program, Lam Ching-choi, a non-official member of the Executive Council, said that any one arriving in Hong Kong with light symptoms, from a pandemic stricken region or who live in a cramped flat with family members in Hong Kong, possibly will be regarded as people with high risks and will be required to do the tests.
ExCo member Lam Ching-choi suggested that those who need to be quarantined should stay in hotels to minimize the risk of infecting their families
Lam, also a specialist in pediatric and community medicine, said that the medical authorities were considering two options. One is taking samples for the high-risk arrivals at the airport and the other is bringing them to designated places to rest for a night before taking samples.
The risk of the first option is high and the people on the spot in charge of taking samples should be professionals and must wear full protective gear.
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According to Lam, the available facilities are limited to testing no more than 1,000 samples a day although the capacity can be increased.
Hong Kong will require all arrivals from foreign countries to undergo a 14-day home quarantine starting from Thursday. The measure could greatly discourage people from coming to Hong Kong, Lam said, adding that the government would closely monitor the implementation of the measure without ruling out the possibility of banning entries of people from regions with the worst outbreak.
Lam suggested that those who need to be quarantined should stay in hotels to minimize the risk of infecting their families.
