Coronavirus: Hong Kong further tightens quarantine rules on arrivals from 8 African nations in fight against new ‘Omicron’ variant
- City residents returning from South Africa, Botswana and six other nations must spend the first of three weeks of quarantine at a government facility
- Officials considering stricter approach towards those who have refused to be jabbed, civil service chief Patrick Nip says
Hong Kong has further tightened quarantine rules for its residents arriving from eight African countries following the detection of a new, highly infectious coronavirus variant, requiring them to complete the first week of their mandatory confinement in a government facility.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Saturday that Hong Kong residents arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe would immediately be sent to Penny’s Bay quarantine centre. The measure takes effect on Sunday.
They will be subject to daily testing over seven days at the government-run facility before they are allowed to complete the remaining stretch of their 21-day compulsory quarantine in a designated hotel.
A total ban on non-Hong Kong residents entering the city has been in force for those eight African countries since Saturday.
Governments across the world have responded to the new B.1.1.529 variant – first detected in Botswana – by imposing stricter border controls including outright travel bans against several countries on the continent.