Coronavirus: plan to isolate airport arrivals in hotel gets off to rocky start in Hong Kong with complaints of poor logistics, lax security
- Worker says she bumped into guests despite assurances of no contact, while traveller claims he was so hungry that he swiped a lunchbox left in corridor
- Health authorities admit to teething difficulties and vow improvements
Hong Kong’s latest plan to isolate airport arrivals in a hotel pending their Covid-19 test results has gotten off to a rocky start with complaints of poor logistics, lax security, insufficient protective gear and a hungry guest forced to eat out of a lunchbox left in the corridor.
Health authorities admitted to teething difficulties and promised better communication and coordination, but did not disclose how long the hotel arrangement would last.
The Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City received its first batch of 286 airport arrivals on Wednesday, after the government turned the establishment into a temporary overnight holding centre for asymptomatic returnees landing in the afternoon or evening.
Deep-throat saliva samples from the group were tested and on Thursday, all results were negative, meaning the guests could leave and serve their 14-day quarantine from home.
The scheme comes as city officials turned their sights on a long-term containment strategy, with Hong Kong recording two imported coronavirus infections on Thursday.