A Government spokesman said today (December 22) that the Designated Quarantine Hotel Scheme has been fully implemented since 0.00am today. All 36 designated hotels must solely be receiving travellers arriving from foreign places for compulsory quarantine. Government has arranged dedicated team to inspect the designated hotels. The quarantine arrangement has been smooth so far.
　　 
　　The 36 designated quarantine hotels provide some 12 000 rooms of various prices and types. The operation of the designated hotels must fulfil the following strict requirements, including:
　　 

• passed the inspection conducted by the relevant departments (including the Department of Health, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Buildings Department) for ensuring that the design, facilities and workflow of the hotel fulfill the infection control requirements;
• disallowing access by members of the public to the hotel area other than those that had been properly segregated, such as the lobby and car park etc.;
• taking all reasonable procedures to ensure that persons undergoing quarantine will not leave their rooms (except leaving for undergoing testing) and receive visitors during the quarantine period;
• strengthening cleaning and disinfection, quarantine and security arrangements, and arranging hotel staff to undergo COVID-19 testing every 14 days.

　　 
　　To further reduce the contact between persons subject to quarantine and the local community, the Government has arranged all travellers to be accommodated at designated hotels to board the designated transport to proceed to their hotels starting from December 18.
　　 
　　In view of the recent development of the global pandemic situation, the Government on December 18 required persons who arrived at Hong Kong from places outside China on or after December 2 to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test at the Community Testing Centres on the 19th or 20th day following their arrival at Hong Kong after completing the 14-day quarantine. In view of the latest epidemic situation in the UK, the Government announced yesterday (December 21) that persons who have stayed in the UK and are placed under compulsory quarantine in Hong Kong are required to stay at the place of residence, private premises or the place of quarantine specified on the quarantine order (place of stay) until the test result is ascertained, apart from undergoing testing at the Community Testing Centres on the 19th or 20th day following their arrival at Hong Kong.
　　 
　　If the aforementioned persons arriving at Hong Kong from the UK have chosen hotels as their place of stay, they can choose to continue to stay at the same designated quarantine hotels which they had been staying. Similarly, those persons who had arrived at Hong Kong from the UK before December 21 and checked in a non-designated hotel can choose to continue to stay at the same hotel as their place of stay.
　　 
　　Persons who arrive at Hong Kong from the UK and who are subject to quarantine may use private transport for the purpose of attending testing or returning to their place of stay. If they need to take public transport, they can only take taxis and cannot disembark on the way.
　　 
　　Please visit the thematic webpage of the Designated Quarantine Hotel Scheme for updated details (www.designatedhotel.gov.hk).

Ends/Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Issued at HKT 21:30

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