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Government tightens quarantine requirements for persons arriving from 16 overseas places
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     ​The Government announced today (August 16) that the quarantine requirements for persons arriving from 16 overseas places will be tightened in view of the latest developments of the COVID-19 epidemic situation. The arrangement will take effect from 0.00am on August 20.
      
     A Government spokesman said, "The global COVID-19 epidemic situation is under serious threat from the Delta variant, with acute surges in the number of confirmed cases within a short period of time in many countries. Despite large-scale vaccination programmes, many places are also experiencing resurgence of the virus, which poses enormous challenges to our local anti-epidemic efforts. After considering a basket of factors, the Government has decided to upgrade the risk grouping of 16 overseas places to impose more stringent boarding, quarantine and testing requirements on relevant inbound travellers in order to uphold the local barrier against the importation of COVID-19."
      
     The relevant arrangements for the overseas places listed below will be effective from 0.00am on August 20:
 
(1) The following 15 overseas places will be upgraded from Group B specified places (medium-risk) to Group A specified places (high-risk):
 
Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.
 
(2) Australia will be upgraded from Group C specified place (low-risk) to Group B specified place (medium-risk).
 
     Details on the relevant arrangements and the corresponding boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
      
     The Government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to effect the above measures.
      
     "The Government will continue to closely monitor the epidemic situation of various places and adopt a risk-based approach taking into account a basket of factors, including public health considerations (such as epidemic situations in particular places, testing rates, vaccination rates, volume of travellers and actual imported cases), as well as other local socio-economic factors, and will adjust the boarding, quarantine and testing requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from relevant places based on the risk levels as the situation warrants," the Government spokesman said.
 
Ends/Monday, August 16, 2021
Issued at HKT 15:00
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