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Letters | Singapore is following the science on Covid quarantine: what about Hong Kong?
- The Hong Kong government should explain why it’s not following the recommendation and practice of the WHO and other countries and regions
- City’s 21-day quarantine defies science and should be scrapped for all travellers, not just some
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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Why does the Hong Kong government continue to rely on a 21-day Covid-19 quarantine for arrivals from some countries, when the World Health Organization and other countries and regions in the world have examined the evidence and determined that 14 days is the maximum possible incubation period for the virus? Why is Hong Kong seemingly unable to do the same?
Until recently, the government could perhaps have pointed to Singapore, which also raised the limit to 21 days in an abundance of caution over the new variants, yet on Wednesday the Singaporean government reduced it back to 14 days, after careful review of the evidence that clearly showed there was no increased incubation period (“Singapore cuts quarantine to two weeks for most travellers”, June 23).
Kudos to Singapore for following the science, and changing their position based on new evidence.
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So what exactly is the scientific evidence that the Hong Kong government and their advisers are using to justify 21 days of quarantine, because, as far as I can tell, it simply doesn’t exist, and never has.
If I am wrong, then please show us that evidence.
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James Webster, Wan Chai
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