(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: Exempting Hong Kong residents from the Mainland from compulsory quarantine after returning to Hong Kong
China News Service, Hong Kong, October 6th (Reporter Zhang Xiaoxi) The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam said on the 6th that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is studying to allow some Hong Kong residents in the Mainland to be the first to be exempted from compulsory quarantine for 14 days after returning to Hong Kong. They do other tasks, follow-up visits and visit relatives.
She pointed out that this work is currently being stepped up, and news of further implementation will be explained to the public.
On the morning of October 6, Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, met with the media before attending an executive meeting and said that there were seven cases of new coronary pneumonia of unknown origin in the past seven days, which is a significant increase from the one in the previous week, calling on the public to continue to be vigilant.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Zhihua
On the same day, before attending the executive meeting, Carrie Lam introduced to the media about the epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
She said that because the third wave of the epidemic has continued to slow down earlier, the SAR government has gradually and orderly introduced four phases of measures to relax social distancing, so that society can resume certain economic activities and citizens can also have some social behaviors.
But she pointed out that while the measures are being relaxed, the SAR government still emphasizes that Hong Kong people must maintain awareness of epidemic prevention and take some preventive measures.
After 9 months of anti-epidemic and anti-epidemic work, it is understandable that citizens have a certain degree of "anti-epidemic fatigue", but when the epidemic is not completely eliminated, every social activity will bring some risks.
Carrie Lam said that in the past 7 days, there were 10 local cases of new coronary pneumonia in Hong Kong. The number is lower than the 14 cases in the previous 7 days. But what is worrying is that among these 10 cases, there are 7 cases of unknown origin. This is a significant increase compared to the previous week, and cases of unknown origin involved a bar.
Under such circumstances, the SAR government will continue to remain vigilant and stand ready. The social distancing measures currently being implemented will need to be maintained for a longer period of time and will generally not be further relaxed.
She also pointed out that many citizens hope to resume some personnel exchanges with the mainland, Macau, and other places as soon as possible.
While strictly controlling the epidemic, the SAR government will continue to communicate closely with the Mainland and Macau, hoping to allow people with a negative nucleic acid test certificate to carry out some cross-border activities under the 14-day compulsory quarantine requirement exemption in both places. , Whether it is family visits, follow-up visits, or commercial or economic activities.
However, she emphasized that before the above requirements are implemented, the SAR government is studying to allow some Hong Kong residents in the Mainland to take the lead in exempting the 14-day compulsory quarantine after returning to Hong Kong, so that they can do other tasks, follow-up consultations, and visit relatives.
The Hong Kong laws "Regulations on Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Arrivals to Hong Kong" (Chapter 599C) and "Regulations on Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving from Foreign Countries" (Chapter 599E), which were amended last week, give the SAR government a legal basis for relevant work , The first to allow some Hong Kong residents in the Mainland to return to Hong Kong without compulsory quarantine.
"We are stepping up this work, and we will tell you about further implementation." Carrie Lam said.
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