Cathay Pacific ground support members work at the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Oct 21, 2020. (VINCENT YU/AP)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said it will tighten the testing and isolation arrangements for aircrew members, sea crew members of goods vessels entering Hong Kong for cargo operations and other exempted people from Feb 20.

It is considered necessary to further tighten the epidemic control measures on all inbound travelers comprehensively based on the latest COVID-19 prevention risk assessment, according to a government press release.

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From Feb 20, those who are exempted from compulsory quarantine in accordance with relevant regulations must be subject to certain conditions.

All aircrew members must be subject to the “test-and-hold” arrangement to undergo testing and wait for the result at Hong Kong International Airport or a designated location.

All aircrew members must be subject to the “test-and-hold” arrangement to undergo testing and wait for the result at Hong Kong International Airport or a designated location

Those who have stayed in any places outside the Chinese mainland during the 21 days prior to arrival in Hong Kong, but have not stayed in Group A specified places, currently Brazil, Ireland, South Africa and the UK, must self-isolate at the airport hotel arranged by airlines until their next duty flight after undergoing testing.

If such aircrew members are locally based crew who wish to leave the airport area, they must self-isolate at a designated quarantine hotel for 14 days before entering the community and be subject to testing on the 12th day following their arrival.

They must also be subject to seven-day medical surveillance afterward, with testing on the 15th and 19th or 20th day following their arrival, before operating again.

Freight crew who have laid over in Anchorage, Alaska, the US, who are subject to closed-loop management in segregation from the local community during the layover, will be exempted from self-isolation at a designated quarantine hotel. They will still be subject to 21-day medical surveillance.

For goods vessels which have called at the ports of any places outside the Chinese mainland during the 21 days prior to arrival in Hong Kong, but have not stayed in Group A specified places, those signing-off sea crew for crew change purposes must possess a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result conducted within 72 hours prior to the vessel’s scheduled time of arrival in Hong Kong.

Alternatively, the shipping agents should arrange the signing-off sea crew to take a nucleic acid test by one of the recognized testing institutions in Hong Kong, and these crew members will need to stay onboard until their negative results are available.

If the sea crew members are Hong Kong residents and will stay in Hong Kong after signing off, they must also use the point-to-point transport to travel to designated quarantine hotels from designated pick-up points, and undergo 21-day compulsory quarantine as with other inbound travelers.

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All other exempted people must be subject to the “test-and-hold” arrangement and undergo repeated testing during their stay in Hong Kong.

Except Consul Generals or representatives in Hong Kong and government officials at equivalent/higher level, all other government officials carrying out governmental duties who have stayed in any places outside the Chinese mainland, but have not stayed in Group A specified places, during 21 days prior to arrival in Hong Kong, must be subject to self-isolation for 21 days at an accommodation arranged by respective organizations.

They must also be subject to repeated testing during the self-isolation period.

As for exempted people who have stayed in Group A specified places, the isolation arrangement tightened by the Government in December last year and on January 23 this year will continue.