Pedestrians walk past a residential building complex in Hong Kong on May 28, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government cordoned off buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sham Shui Po on Wednesday night as it tightened rules for returnees from the mainland, except those coming from Guangdong.
In a statement, the government said Hong Kong residents returning from mainland areas other than Guangdong province will not be exempted from quarantine under the Return2hk Scheme starting Thursday due to the latest developments in the pandemic situation in the mainland.
The government said Hong Kong residents returning to the SAR from mainland areas other than Guangdong province will not be exempted from quarantine under the Return2hk Scheme starting Thursday
"Persons who have applied for quotas to return to Hong Kong under the Return2hk Scheme beforehand will not be exempted from quarantine,” a government spokesman was quoted as saying in the statement.
“The government will send SMS notifications to the affected persons who have already applied for quotas under the Return2hk Scheme to inform them of the latest arrangement,” he added.
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This announcement came after the government on Wednesday also announced that returnees from Macao would also not be exempted from quarantine under the Return2hk Scheme.
According to the statement, persons who have stayed in mainland areas other than Guangdong will be subject to 14-day compulsory quarantine at home, and have to undergo compulsory testing several times during and after their quarantine.
The arrangements of shortening the quarantine period to seven days for fully vaccinated persons will also not be applicable, it added.
Meanwhile, the government cordoned off The Luxe Manor at 39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui at 8 pm Wednesday for targeted testing after one of its residents was identified as a close contact of a girl who tested positive for the Delta variant in Macao.
Residents will undergo testing and the government expected to finish its operation by 7 am Thursday.
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The government also cordoned off Block A, Tung Lo Court, 136-154 Tai Po Road, Sham Shui Po after one of its residents tested preliminarily positive for the virus. The government set up a "restricted area" and residents will also have to undergo compulsory testing for the virus.