A Government spokesman said that 65 Hong Kong residents who took the chartered flights arranged by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government safely arrived Hong Kong from Peru today (April 5) in the afternoon. They subsequently proceeded to the Centre for Health Protection's testing centre at the AsiaWorld-Expo for COVID-19 testing and are now awaiting the testing results. If tested negative, they can return home or proceed to a designated place to continue completion of the 14-day compulsory quarantine.

     Peru declared a state of national emergency in mid-March, imposing very strict restrictions on all land and air traffic. The Immigration Department (ImmD) thereafter received a total of 98 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents stranded there. With the full assistance of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR (OCMFA) and the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Peru (Chinese Embassy in Peru), 65 of them (including an accompanying baby of a Hong Kong resident) earlier took the chartered flight arranged by the HKSAR Government from Lima to London, followed by an ordinary connecting flight to Hong Kong and arrived this afternoon.

     Among the Hong Kong residents who sought assistance, one of them passed away in Peru earlier from COVID-19 infection and 13 have left there already through other arrangements. The remaining ones have not taken the chartered flights to leave Peru on personal preference or because they are subject to quarantine.

     Currently at least four Hong Kong residents are required to stay in Peru for quarantine and undergo COVID-19 testing. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up with the OCMFA and the Chinese Embassy in Peru to provide practicable and appropriate assistance to the affected Hong Kong residents.    

     The cost for taking the chartered flight from Lima to Hong Kong via London is around HK$30,000; and that from Cusco to Lima is around HK$5,600. For the sake of mutual co-operation and benefit, the HKSAR Government has accepted the requests for assistance from other governments for allowing their residents to take the remaining seats of the chartered flights. Four Malaysian residents took the chartered flight from Cusco to Lima while six Malaysian residents and three British residents took the chartered flight from Lima to London. They have arranged the following itinerary by themselves after arriving London. These nine foreign residents have to pay the same amount for taking the chartered flights.

Ends/Sunday, April 5, 2020
Issued at HKT 23:18

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