People wearing face masks as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus walk near the check in counters at Hong Kong International Airport on March 24, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported two new imported COVID-19 cases on Monday as it started allowing vaccinated visitors from all but 10 places globally to enter the city, easing some of the tightest border curbs in the world.
The Centre for Health Protection said the new cases involved a 39-year-old man who arrived from Romania and a seven-month-old baby girl from Russia. Both showed no symptoms as the city’s tally stood at 12,015.
The male patient had been fully vaccinated with the BioNTech vaccine in May. He also tested positive for antibodies on July 22.
The CHP also said that 35 cases were reported from July 26 to August 8, including one untraceable local infection.
A total of 41 confirmed patients were being treated as of Monday in nine public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, including one patient in serious condition, the Hospital Authority said.
Meanwhile, travelers from countries now considered “medium-risk” – which includes the US and Canada – are able to enter the city for the first time since the pandemic started, according to the new measures announced last week.
Fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents coming from any of the 10 allowed “high-risk” places, will need to be quarantined for 21 days at a designated hotel, undergo self-monitoring for seven days, and get tested during after their quarantine
Only fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents can board flights to the city from the 10 “high-risk” places, which include Brazil, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
They will be quarantined for 21 days at a designated hotel, undergo self-monitoring for seven days, and get tested during after their quarantine.
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Unvaccinated travelers coming from “medium-risk” places will also have to be quarantined for 21 days and undergo four COVID-19 tests. Vaccinated travelers will be quarantine for 14 days, undergo seven days of self-monitoring and get tested during and after quarantine. Those who test positive for antibodies can have their hotel quarantine shorted to 7 days.
Also on Monday, the Hong Kong government said residents aged 60 and above can enjoy walk-in COVID-19 vaccination services at community inoculation centers starting Wednesday.
The latest policy came after senior citizens aged 70 and above were allowed to get the same-day tickets for jabs starting July 29, as the government raced to boost the city’s vaccine take-up rate.
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A senior citizen can be accompanied by up to two to the centers, and they can also receive the shots together.
The daily quotas will be distributed daily from 7:45 am on a first-come, first-served basis.
The centers at Tung Chung Community Hall and Hong Kong International Airport will each distribute 100 tickets per day, while other centers, except those run by private hospitals, will each distribute 200 tickets per day.
As of Sunday, more than 3.49 million people in Hong Kong have taken at least the first vaccine dose, accounting for 51.4 percent of people aged 12 and above. Among them, more than 2.68 million have been fully vaccinated.
With inputs from Bloomberg