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Coronavirus Hong Kong
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong Covid quarantine: let compassion drive cross-border rules

  • Travellers to Taiwan or Hong Kong, if they test negative for Covid-19, can leave quarantine to attend funerals or visit severely ill loved ones, but the situation on the mainland is unclear

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Travellers wait to cross out of Hong Kong into the mainland at the Shenzhen Bay border on December 11, 2020. Photo: Felix Wong
Letters
With the city recording no local cases for more than 14 days, the Hong Kong government has initiated talks with Macau and mainland authorities about allowing vaccinated residents to travel without quarantine. As the pandemic drags on, however, the government should work closely with the mainland authorities to ensure Hong Kong residents visiting the mainland can be temporarily relieved from quarantine on humanitarian grounds.

According to the Taiwan Centres for Disease Control, in case of death or severe illness of family members, those under quarantine in Taiwan can be allowed to attend funerals or visit their families if they test negative for Covid-19. In response to inquiries, the Hong Kong Department of Health said those in quarantine may be allowed to visit a critically ill relative or attend a funeral in Hong Kong.

While I hope the mainland authorities have similar policies in place, in response to inquiries, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong said the office was not in an appropriate position to comment on how the Guangdong government considered applications for exemption on humanitarian grounds or disclose the details of requests for assistance it received regarding this matter.

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I urge the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau to fully inform Hong Kong residents about the relevant policies of the mainland authorities and ensure local residents facing such circumstances are properly assisted.

Yichun Wang, Kowloon Tong

02:09

Hong Kong to shorten mandatory quarantine to 7 days for fully vaccinated residents, travellers

Hong Kong to shorten mandatory quarantine to 7 days for fully vaccinated residents, travellers

Return to home quarantine, if infection numbers allow

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