Hotel Quarantines Cut... Sort Of

Lee announced shorter quarantine times for travellers to HK

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced this morning Hong Kong time that hotel quarantines have been cut to three days and four days home monitoring from August 12. 

Local residents were thrilled to see the length of time stuck in a hotel room for no good reason will be shortened, but moaned that this would not entice visitors to come back anytime soon.

Those returning to Hong Kong from Friday will need to use the new health code, where if they test negative, they will be placed under a yellow code. This means they cannot visit places such as restaurants, bars, concerts and elderly care homes, but that if their rapid antigen test is negative, they can go about taking public transport, even go back to work(!) and shop for food or go to the shopping mall.

If person tests negative at airport, get yellow code

Once people have successfully completed this 3+4 arrangement, then their health code will turn blue. Strange that it's not green... And of course those who are infected with Covid-19 are red.

The several days of PCR tests will also continue...

The long-awaited coloured health code is going to be implemented, somewhat following what has already been implemented in China since near the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

There are fears that this health code will replace the dreaded LeaveHomeSafe app for the rest of Hong Kong's population and is yet another step in having Hong Kong further conform to the mainland. 

As soon as the shortened quarantine was announced, many were rejoicing, making it even more possible for them to travel again for the first time in over two years, but others still questioned the need to be stuck in a hotel room and paying out of pocket when the rest of the world does not have this regulation (except China and Macau).

Hong Kong health experts like Ben Cowling have said many times that the numbers of infected people coming into the city are so low that hospitals would be able to handle the case loads, and so there isn't a need to have hotel quarantines.

Quarantine hotels made money in pandemic

Perhaps three days was chosen as apparently for every 1,000 travellers coming into Hong Kong, 40 test positive for Covid within three days. And also the day you arrive is counted as Day zero, not Day 1.

Lee explained the government recommendations were based on scientific data, which showed travellers' risk level after three days "is no more than the risk level of transmission in society".

"Based on this analysis, we consider that the risk is under control, and balance it against the needs for other activities to take place. This new measure of '3+4' will be in the best interests of Hong Kong," he said.

"I must emphasise that during the fourth day of medical surveillance, there are also PCR checks, so we will know if there are any changes in risks."

In other words, if there are more infections found on the fourth day, hotel quarantines may be extended, but Lee said he would try his best not to roll back on measures.

Nevertheless, his ultimate goal is to reopen to the mainland, and Lee says he is trying to find ways to make it less inconvenient for people. China's current quarantine measures are 7+3.

In the meantime Hong Kong hoteliers must be annoyed at this new announcement, as those who converted their hotels for quarantine ones have raked in a lot of money these past two years. But surely they would want things to go back to normal too...

China Health Codes Come to HK

The dreaded LeaveHomeSafe app now includes health codes

People in Hong Kong hate the LeaveHomeSafe app. 

Users have to upload their vaccination records on it -- and those who still haven't been vaccinated aren't able to enter any restaurant to dine in, cut their hair, go to the pub and so on. They can only order takeout. And there are a lot of people in this category.

When the app first came out there were concerns it would be modelled similar to the Chinese health code, where when it shows a green colour, the person has not been infected and allowed to move around the city as they please; yellow means a person may be asked to stay home for seven days; and red is a two-week quarantine.

Only yellow and red health codes will be used

In China people have no choice but to use this app if they want to get around the city and do the most basic things like buy groceries, banking and work.

There were concerns the government could abuse this health code and that happened recently in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan province in central China.

Protesters occupied the front of a state-owned bank as they were unable to access their accounts since mid April. In a bid to try to control these people, the authorities turned the protesters' health codes red so they were unable to gather at the bank and instead were sent off to quarantine.

A few days later Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau announced Hong Kong was mulling the possibility of adopting the mainland's health code system, and now Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has given a few more details.

Apparently the health code in Hong Kong will only feature yellow and red, yellow for all incoming passengers, while red means the person is infected and must stay home or go to the hospital for treatment. 

Lo announced the possible move a few days ago

When the media asked about the Henan situation where the health code was abused, Lee replied the government will tackle "misinformation".

"We will make sure that we'll well-explain the scope and the method so that people understand why we do it, what benefits they gain, and what are the concerns they do not have to really bother, because there may be some misinformation, which we need to address very quickly so that everybody knows what we are doing," he said.

Better yet he said the health code would only affect a small number of people...

Where have we heard that before?

But it will affect a lot of people because over half the Hong Kong population is believed to have had Covid-19 at some point, and/or they know people who were infected with the virus.

In addition, those who are infected with Covid-19 will have to wear an electronic bracelet when they undergo home quarantine to ensure they don't leave to go out during the isolation period.

"We have to make sure that home isolation is more precise while being humane," Lo said, announcing the new requirement would begin on Monday.

If someone breaches the mandatory home isolation order, the perpetrator could pay a fine of up to HK$25,000 (US$3,200) and up to six months in jail.

Not even two weeks into Lee's new position and already the mainlandisation of Hong Kong is happening even faster under the guise of the pandemic...