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Coronavirus pandemic
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Letters | China virus: Hong Kong should put Hubei on travel alert now

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A young family in face masks at the check-in hall of the Hong Kong International Airport on January 22, as China ramped up efforts to contain a new respiratory virus that has killed at least 26 people and infected nearly 900. Photo: Bloomberg
Letters
The confirmation of an outbreak of a novel coronavirus infection in Wuhan just days before the Lunar New Year should have rung alarm bells among those at the forefront of Hong Kong’s defence against contagious diseases.

With many travellers expected to leave or visit Hong Kong for the holidays, the Hong Kong government should immediately issue a travel alert on Hubei province and implement other measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in Hong Kong.

The Security Bureau launched the Outbound Travel Alert System in 2009 to help Hong Kong residents better understand the risks or likely threat to personal safety when travelling to some countries or territories which are among the more popular travel destinations for them.

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However, the current system does not cover the mainland, Taiwan and Macau, as travel alerts are usually not issued for different areas of the same country.

In light of the seriousness of the Wuhan outbreak and given that Hongkongers often visit other parts of China, the government should amend its current practice to include other parts of the country in its Outbound Travel Alert System.
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On top of issuing a travel alert for areas affected by the outbreak, the government should activate its emergency response system in accordance with its Preparedness and Response Plan for Novel Infectious Disease of Public Health Significance.

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