Coronavirus: hotels offer at least 1,000 rooms for quarantine, as Hong Kong starts isolating new arrivals
- At least 14 hotels have offered to house people under mandatory orders, industry representative says
- Meanwhile, a doctors’ group warns that isolating people in their own homes is ‘absolutely not ideal’ and risks infecting the community
At least 14 hotels have offered a minimum of 1,000 rooms for travellers arriving in Hong Kong to stay in during mandatory quarantine, an industry representative said, as medical experts called on the government to stop the coronavirus spreading in the community by barring people from isolating at home.
This came as the city confirmed 16 new cases on Thursday, taking the total to 208, including four deaths.
Travellers to the city had rushed to immigration checkpoints before midnight on Wednesday, after which all passengers from overseas would be put under mandatory home-quarantine. They would have to wear an electronic wristband which would alert the authorities should they leave home within the 14-day quarantine period.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said officials would start randomly testing incoming travellers – even those without symptoms – for the virus, which causes the deadly illness Covid-19 and has infected more than 200,000 people worldwide.
Medical experts have called on the government to adopt more drastic measures, such as putting quarantined people into hotels and even barring all foreign arrivals from the city.