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The Government has chartered an aircraft to Taipei to collect a Hong Kong tour group which was placed in quarantine in Taiwan after one of its members was suspected to be showing symptoms of atypical pneumonia, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Mr Stephen Lam announced today (April 29).
The group of 32 and its leader were confined on April 26 after a six-year-old girl developed a fever.
Director of Health Dr Margaret Chan told a news conference that according to the information she had received from Taiwanese health authorities, the girl had shown no signs of fever in the past two days and that the results of the X-ray were clear.
No other members of the tour group had shown symptoms of the disease since April 26, she added.
She said medical officers would be on board the 100-seat chartered plane that was dispatched to Taipei this evening. They would examine all group members and take their temperature.
Provided they show no symptoms of the disease, all members of the tour group would be placed under home confinement upon their return to Hong Kong. The 10-day confinement period would start from the day they were placed in quarantine in Taiwan, she added.
Members of the group were expected to return to Hong Kong tonight.
Mr Lam said the Taiwan authorities had responded "rapidly and positively" to Hong Kong's request for permission to bring the tour group home.
End/Tuesday, April 29, 2003
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