Coronavirus Hong Kong: returnees from mainland China ‘should get hotel quarantine’; city hits first-jab vaccine milestone of 50 per cent

Before Thursday, Hongkongers returning from the mainland were not required to quarantine at all under the Return2HK scheme

City’s 58-day streak of zero local infections has officially ended, with confirmation of untraceable case of construction worker

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With fresh outbreaks occurring on the mainland, health experts say returning Hong Kong residents should not be allowed to isolate at home. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 2:48pm, 5 Aug 2021Updated: 11:44pm, 5 Aug 2021

Residents returning to Hong Kong from mainland Chinese cities with Covid-19 outbreaks should be isolated in hotels – not their homes – health experts and a pro-establishment lawmaker said on Thursday, even as the city’s vaccination drive hit an important milestone.

After months of sluggish uptake, Hong Kong’s inoculation efforts have picked up steam in recent weeks, with the proportion of eligible residents – or those aged 12 and above – who had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine finally hitting 50 per cent on Thursday. So far, more than 3.4 million people have received their first dose, while some 2.5 million people, or more than 38 per cent of the eligible population, are fully inoculated.

The calls for a policy shift for returnees from the mainland came one day after Hong Kong announced plans to suspend its quarantine-free scheme for such residents – with the exception of those coming from Guangdong – in a bid to prevent an outbreak across the border from spreading into the city.

Thursday also marked an official end to Hong Kong’s 58-day run of zero local infections, with authorities confirming the untraceable case of a 43-year-old construction worker. Though newly detected, the infection is believed to be an older one that is still producing positive readings for the virus.

Residents of neighbouring Macau line up for coronavirus testing on Wednesday after the city confirmed its first infections in over a year. Photo: Xinhua

Five imported cases were also confirmed on Thursday involving travellers from Ireland, Cambodia, the United States, Thailand and Russia. Three of the arrivals were fully vaccinated.