New health declaration provision starts

All passengers arriving in Hong Kong from tomorrow afternoon (March 29) will have to complete a health declaration form as part of new measures to tackle severe acute respiratory syndrome.

"Passengers arriving by air, sea or at our land boundary control points will have to submit the completed health declaration before entering Hong Kong," a government spokesman said.

"We will deploy additional staff to collect the declaration forms and help ensure the new measure is implemented with minimum inconvenience to passengers."

Airlines will hand out the forms to passengers arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport from tomorrow afternoon. Passengers can either complete the form on board the aircraft or use tables provided in the arrival hall of the terminal building.

Passengers arriving by sea will be handed health declaration forms by ferry companies on board vessels.

The health declaration will be collected by officers of the Auxiliary Medical Service at the airport and at the ferry terminals with passengers arriving by sea from outside Hong Kong.

"We note that the largest number of passengers arriving in Hong Kong daily do so via the Lo Wu and other land boundary control points. The government will deploy additional staff at these points to help implement this measure," the spokesman said.

"In addition, our Mainland counterparts at Lo Wu have agreed to help distribute the declaration forms to passengers bound for Hong Kong. The KCRC and cross-boundary bus company will also help distribute the forms to 'through train' passengers and bus passengers.

"We hope they will complete the form before they reach the arrival halls so that the form-collection and immigration clearance procedures can be conducted smoothly.

"This will help reduce congestion and will enable passengers to complete immigration procedures quickly."

However, as a result of the new measure, the waiting time for passengers and processing time by the control officers may take longer.

"We appeal to all passengers for their understanding and patience while travelling through the control points," the spokesman said.

At the land boundary control points, the health declaration forms will be collected by immigration officers when they clear passengers for entry into Hong Kong.

People who indicate they have symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome or feel ill in any way at any control point will be examined by a designated health declaration post. If they are likely to be infected they will be sent to hospital according to proper procedures.

This procedure is part of the package of measures announced by the Chief Executive yesterday to tackle the disease. They include :

* Requiring people who have come in close contact with those suffering from the disease to report each day for check-up at a designated clinic for 10 days, not to go to work/school; and staying at home as far as possible;

* Setting up as soon as possible a liaison mechanism with Mainland authorities which will further strengthen Hong Kong's co-operation in the areas of the state of the disease, clinical treatment as well as control and cause of the disease; and

* Suspending classes in all secondary schools, primary schools, kindergartens and day classes of the Vocational Training Council from March 29 to April 6.

End/Friday, March 28, 2003