By Daisy CL Mandap
 |
| For the Philippine Consulate, only Consul General Raly Tejada retains his quarantine exemption |
Hong Kong has tightened the quarantine exemptions for certain people arriving from overseas, particularly officers and staff of foreign consulates and senior finance executives.
From Nov 12, only consuls general or representatives in
All other consular and diplomatic officers who had stayed overseas within 21 days before arrival will now have to self-isolate at designated quarantine hotels. The removal of the quarantine exemption also applies to finance executives.
 |
| Call us! |
The only ones who will continue to get the quarantine exemption are those that provide essential services such as cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers, crew members of aircraft and cargo vessels and certain designated government officials.
Previously, even ordinary staff at the consulates, including the newly arrived personnel at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, were allowed to isolate at home instead of spending their quarantine at designated hotels.
In a statement issued today, Nov 1, the government cited two imported cases involving consulate staff and their family members who were recently confirmed with Covid-19 infection while they were supposed to be on home isolation.
 |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS! |
The first case involved a Saudi Arabian consular staff whose
three children who flew in from
The second more recent case involved a diplomat from
The government said, “The new measures will strengthen the prevention of importation of cases and tackle the threat posed by mutant strains by further minimizing the chance of transmission of the virus from imported cases into the community so as to foster favourable conditions for resuming cross-boundary travel with the Mainland and cross-border travel in future."
 |
| CLICK FOR DETAILS |
Those who are allowed to retain their exemption status are reminded that if they breach the quarantine rules their exemption status will be revoked, and they will be transferred to quarantine centres.
In addition, all exempted persons are subject to medical surveillance during the exemption period. Anyone who violates the conditions of their medical surveillance will be liable to a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for six months.
 |
| A vendor looks at the QR code for Java Road Market, which was largely ignored today |
Also part of the stricter regulations is the compulsory use of the LeaveHomeSafe app starting today, Nov. 1, for those entering government premises, including indoor wet markets and cooked food stalls.
Only those aged 12 and below or 65 and above, or those with mental incapacity that prevents them using the app, are still allowed to write down their personal details on pieces of paper for contract tracing.
 |
| BASAHIN ANG KWENTONG DREAM LOVE |
However, enforcement at some of the indoor markets was noticeably lax today, despite the posting of visible notices at the venue entrances, which are guarded by staff at the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Earlier, the FEHD said it would focus on education and information in the initial stage of the implementation to ensure visitors at the venue are suitably informed about the new regulation.
Meanwhile, only one
imported case of Covid-19 was reported today, involving a 56-year-old male air
crew from
He tested positive for the coronavirus with the L452R mutant strain at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre where he was moved after being identified as a close contact of a previously confirmed case.
He took
 |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
 |
| PADALA NA! |
