Hong Kong will ease quarantine restrictions on travellers from mainland China, providing exemptions for school students crossing the border daily and any arrivals deemed economically important, according to the city’s health chief on Tuesday.
Addressing a press briefing, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said that the relaxed measures were because the city government was satisfied that the COVID-19 crisis on the mainland was largely under control, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.
Chan further announced the extension of immigration restrictions for general visitors by one month to June 7, and that the requirement for visitors to report their health and travel history would be extended to August 31.
But the exact date of the change was yet to be confirmed.
The city recorded no new coronavirus cases for a third day in a row on Tuesday.
It was the fifth time in nine days there were no new infections, with the total number of cases now at 1,037.
Last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the city will extend its social distancing measures for another 14 days to ensure the COVID-19 pandemic will be completely controlled.
In a survey in March, 85% of respondents reported avoiding crowded places, and 99% reported wearing face masks when leaving home, which the authors say is an indication of their concern.
During the Sars outbreak in 2003 that affected Hong Kong severely, causing 299 deaths, 79% of the population wore masks, but only 10% in the swine flu pandemic of 2009.
Hong Kong currently denies entry to any residents of Hubei province, where the pandemic oriinated in its capital Wuhan last December, and non-Hong Kong residents who have visited the province in the previous 14 days.
Meanwhile, globally, 3,062,054 people have been infected by corona and 211,433 people have died from the disease so far.