Medical experts have calmed fears over the danger of cross-infection among Hong Kong residents due to be flown back in the second round of evacuation from Hubei province, saying strict precautionary measures would ensure a safe operation.
There have been worries that the risk of cross-infection among the evacuees will be high as many of them will have to take long bus rides from cities surrounding the provincial capital to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to board the flights home.
The government should take strict precautionary steps for the evacuees, particularly on the bus rides to Wuhan. The measures taken during the first round of evacuation had been effective
Lam Ching-choi, a non-official member of the Executive Council
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said on Monday the second batch of chartered flights will leave for Hong Kong on March 24 at the earliest to pick up Hong Kong residents stranded in the cities of Xiaogan, Xianning and Huangshi. The three cities are about a two to three hours’ bus ride from the airport.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who led the first round of evacuations from Hubei province earlier this month, said on Monday about 700 Hong Kong people are spread out in the three cities.
In addition, the flights will also pick up 70 residents still stranded in Wuhan who have sought help after missing out on the first flights home.
Nip said avoiding cross-infection is the chief concern for the second round of evacuations.
Lam Ching-choi, a non-official member of the Executive Council, urged the government to take strict precautionary steps for the evacuees, particularly on the bus rides to Wuhan, saying the measures taken during the first round of evacuation had been effective.
Hong Kong chartered four flights on March 4 and 5, bringing back 469 Hong Kong residents, mostly stranded in Wuhan, including pregnant women and those in need of urgent medical treatment. So far, only one of those who returned has been confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus.
All the evacuees had to undergo body temperature checks at least four times before boarding the aircraft, and again after landing in Hong Kong. They were also required to wear masks and protective gowns on the way to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, on the flights and on the trip to Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan district on arrival for quarantine.
Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association Advisory’s Committee on Communicable Diseases, reckoned it’s feasible to adopt the same measures used in the first round of evacuations.
With imported cases on the rise on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong, the evacuees should avoid coming into close contact with passengers from other countries at the airports to prevent cross-infection, he said.
It’s estimated that more than 3,400 Hong Kong residents are still stranded in 37 cities across Hubei, which has been in a virtual lockdown just before the Lunar New Year holiday in late January.
