Coronavirus: home quarantine for arrivals into Hong Kong with 3 vaccine jabs? Government health advisers suggest scheme amid optimism as city records lowest number of cases in 3 months
- Top infectious disease expert Professor Ivan Hung, convenor of a vaccine committee, says tracking wristbands and regular PCR tests can accompany move
- Saturday’s 278 Covid-19 cases is lowest daily caseload since February 4, while no deaths were reported in Hong Kong for the first day since February 15
Arrivals into Hong Kong who have received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine should be allowed to quarantine at home, two government health advisers have said, with one of them projecting daily infection caseloads to drop to two digits in about a fortnight.
His appeal came as health officials confirmed 278 cases on Saturday, including 18 imported ones, and reported no new deaths. The city’s coronavirus tally now stands at 1,206,319 infections, with 9,344 related fatalities.
Saturday’s figure was the lowest since February 4, when 131 cases were logged. It was also the first day since February 15 with no reported Covid-19 deaths.
Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, a top infectious disease expert and convenor of a government vaccine committee, suggested on Saturday that travellers with three jabs or two with a previous infection record be allowed to isolate at home with an electronic tracking device upon a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the airport.
Under current rules, such arrivals have to undergo a seven-day hotel quarantine.
“It’s really reasonable and feasible to quarantine at home for seven days but at the same time you need to wear a tracer so you can be contacted straight away if you test positive during the seven days,” Hung said, adding such individuals should undergo regular PCR screening in this period.