Health
Control Measures for travellers at airport, seaport and land boundary control
points
Airport
Arriving
- All incoming travellers at
the Hong Kong International Airport are required to complete a health
declaration form (since 29 March) which is distributed by airlines.
- The following questions are
asked in the health declaration form:
- The countries and cities
that you have visited within the last 10 days before arrival
- The presence of fever,
cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulty.
- Medical posts have been set
up to cater for travellers displaying symptoms of SARS. Travellers
showing symptoms of SARS will be assessed by a doctor. Those suspected
of having SARS will be referred to hospitals for further management.
- Health alert cards with
advice on SARS are distributed to all in-bound passengers
- All people arriving at Hong
Kong International Airport, including transit passengers, are
required to have their temperature checked (since April 24). Those who
have fever will be assessed by a doctor. Suspected SARS case will be
referred to hospital for further management.
- Transit passengers at the Sky Pier
(in operation since September 29) are also required to have their
temperature checks.
Departure
- Departing air travellers
checking in at the airport are asked to give information concerning
history of contact with SARS case and the presence of fever (since 29
March).
- Travellers who have history
of contact with SARS case or fever will be assessed by a doctor. Those
suspected of SARS will be referred to hospitals for further management.
- The following categories of
people have been barred from leaving Hong Kong (since 14 April):
- Household contacts of both
suspected and confirmed SARS cases during the home confinement period.
- People suspected of
suffering from SARS upon screening at the airport.
- Departing air travellers
checking in at the airport are also required to have their body
temperature checked (since 17 April). Those who have fever will not be
allowed to board unless cleared by a medical practitioner.
- With effect from 14 June,
departing passengers are required to complete a health declaration form
instead of being asked by airlines during check-in. The following
questions are asked in the form:
- The countries and cities
that had been visited in the past 10 days
- Any contact with people
with SARS in the past 10 days?
- The presence of fever, cough,
shortness of breath or breathing difficulty.
- Passengers are required to
sign the form and to declare that all the information given is true and
correct.
- The health declaration form
fulfils the requirement of the China-ASEAN Agreement on control of SARS,
signed on 1 June.
Seaport
Arrival
- All incoming travellers are
required to complete a health declaration (since 29 March). Ferry
companies are handing out declaration forms to passengers arriving by
sea.
- The following questions are
asked in the health declaration form:
- The countries and cities
that had been visited within the last 10 days before arrival
- The presence of fever,
cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulty.
- Medical posts have been set
up to watch for travellers displaying symptoms of SARS. Those suspected
of having SARS will be referred to hospitals for further management.
- Arriving passengers are
subject to temperature screening in addition to health declaration
(since 26 April). Suspected SARS case will be referred to hospital for
further management.
Departure
- Departing travellers
checking in at the seaport are asked to give information concerning
history of contact with SARS case and the presence of fever. Passengers
who have history of contact with SARS case of fever will be referred to
hospitals for further management.
- The following categories of
people have been barred from leaving Hong Kong (since 14 April):
- Household contacts of both
suspected and confirmed SARS cases during the home confinement period.
- People suspected of
suffering from SARS upon screening at the seaports.
- Departing passengers from
the Macao Ferry Terminal and the China Ferry Terminal are required to
undergo temperature checks before leaving Hong Kong (since 16 May).
Suspected SARS case will be referred to hospital for further management.
Land Control Points
Arrival
- All incoming travellers are
required to complete a health declaration (since 29 March). The train
company and cross-boundary bus companies also help to distribute the forms
to through-train passengers and bus passengers.
- The following question is
asked in the health declaration form:
- The presence of fever,
cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulty.
- Medical posts have been set
up to cater for travellers displaying symptoms of SARS. Those suspected
of having SARS will be referred to hospitals for further management.
- All arrivals by rail at
Hung Hom and Lo Wu will be required to have their body temperature
checked (since April 24).
- All arrivals at land border
control points in Sha Tau Kok, Man Kam To, and Lok Ma Chau will be
required to have their body temperature checked (since April 26).
Suspected SARS case will be referred to hospital for further management.
- To minimize the duplication
of work and streamline the procedure, relevant authorities of Hong Kong
and Shenzhen have agreed to implement synchronized temperature screening
procedure for arriving passengers crossing the land border control
points at Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok.
Departure
- The following categories of
people have been barred from leaving Hong Kong (since 14 April):
- Household contacts of both
suspected and confirmed SARS cases during the home confinement period.
- People suspected of
suffering from SARS upon screening at all land border control points.
- Departing passengers from
the Hung Hom Station by rail are required to undergo temperature checks
before leaving Hong Kong (since 21 May). Suspected SARS case will be
referred to hospital for further management.
To avoid
delay, travellers with signs and symptoms suspicious of SARS (e.g. fever,
cough, breathing difficulty) should seek medical advice as early as possible
before travel.
Travellers
seeking further information may call Port Health Travel Health Centre at 2961
8840 or 2150 7235.
For Hong
Kong residents who encounter entry or exit difficulties on quarantine grounds
while abroad, they can call Port Health 24-hour hotline (852) 8103 1717 for
assistance.
Port Health
Office
Department of Health
11 October 2003
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