Coronavirus: patients at Hong Kong isolation facilities set to leave as mandatory stays end
- As city returns to normality, last remaining isolation facilities begin to wind down operations, capping voluntary stays at seven days
- Mandatory tests for travellers and quota for mainland China border crossings may also end in coming days, says pro-Beijing heavyweight Tam Yiu-chung
The city’s other main anti-epidemic measures – mandatory tests for travellers and a quota for mainland China border crossings – could also be dropped soon, Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole delegate to the country’s top legislative body, said on Sunday.
Authorities will continue to use the Penny’s Bay camp on Lantau Island and the Novotel Citygate hotel in Tung Chung for isolation until the end of next month, but they have capped stays at seven days.
As of Saturday, about 540 people were staying at the two sites, which offer 9,000 units in total.
According to the Security Bureau, 220 people have indicated they will leave the facilities on Monday, while a number of infected residents told the Post they planned to remain until they tested negative or their seven days were up.
Clara Leung, a 41-year-old mother, said she went into the Penny’s Bay camp to care for her seven-year-old son after he contracted the virus. They had left after nine days, but her husband and their 10-year-old daughter, who had been there for four days, would stay until the girl tested negative, she said.
“It’s actually great to have Penny’s Bay, as we all feel safer going into isolation,” she said. “We have all caught Covid twice, but at least not at the same time. My husband and two kids were all fine when I caught Covid last November and came here for the isolation.”
