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Government explains isolation and quarantine arrangement for COVID-19 cases and close contacts involving sub-lineages of Omicron mutant strain
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     In response to media enquiries, a Government spokesman today (June 1) said that Hong Kong has all along been implementing a five-tier arrangement for isolation of local cases tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and where appropriate quarantine of their close contacts at home or designated facilities since the fifth wave epidemic that started in end 2021. The objective is to reduce disease transmission, death and severe infection in local community. There has been no change to the quarantine and isolation arrangements for local cases since the peak of the fifth wave.
      
     Meanwhile, the spokesman added that quarantine of inbound passengers from overseas and isolation of imported cases has all along been in designated hotels or facilities to prevent importation of cases into the local community. 
      
     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has been adopting a stringent and consistent approach in handling the isolation of cases based on risk assessment of individual cases. In outbreak clusters recently identified, some locally infected cases involved the importation of new Omicron sub-lineages, such as BA.2.12.1, and some imported cases involved sub-lineages such as BA.4 and BA.5, of which overseas evidence has so far indicated they are with higher transmissibility and immune escape. Based on risk-assessment specifically the potential impact of further spread of such variants in the community, the CHP has decided to put these new sub-lineage cases, including recent local transmission of BA.2.12.1 cases and their close contacts, under controlled environment for isolation for better monitoring and observation of their situation as a precautionary measure. This is a specific measure taken in respect of those cases in questions based on risk assessment and does not signify a change in the overall quarantine and isolation policy aforementioned. 
      
     The CHP will continue to closely monitor these local cases involving the new sub-lineages and their epidemiological characteristics and features, and will conduct further risk assessment in the handling of such cases as appropriate.
 
Ends/Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Issued at HKT 23:45
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