Coronavirus: Hong Kong to quarantine all arrivals from three Italian regions and Iran, issues ‘red’ travel alert

All arrivals, including Hong Kong residents, will be sent to quarantine centres if they have visited Iran, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy or Veneto in past 14 days

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The streets of central Milan are quiet amid coronavirus fears. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:15pm, 28 Feb 2020Updated: 2:51am, 29 Feb 2020

Hong Kong authorities have strengthened quarantine measures on travellers from three Italian regions and Iran and issued a “red” outbound travel alert for the four places after a surge in Covid-19 cases.

From midnight on Sunday, everyone arriving in the city, including Hong Kong residents, will be sent to quarantine centres for two weeks if they have visited Iran or the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto in northern Italy in the past 14 days.

The red alert – the second level of a three-tier system that calls for tourists to adjust travel plans and avoid non-essential travel because of a “significant threat” – for the Italian regions was issued on Friday, while an earlier one for Iran, sent out over safety concerns, was updated to include the coronavirus outbreak.

“In view of the persistent and rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions in Italy, which cover Bologna, Milan, Venice and Verona, the government has decided to issue the red OTA on the three regions based on public health considerations,” a government statement said.

The statement also urged Hongkongers to wear a surgical mask at all times, pay attention to local government announcements, avoid health care facilities and crowded places and to avoid contact with sick people if they had to visit those places.

In Italy, coronavirus cases surged by 50 per cent over the past 24 hours and there were about 650 confirmed infections, including 17 deaths. More than 400 of those were in Lombardy, where some towns have been placed under a lockdown.