Hotels checked for Hubei visitors

February 1, 2020

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan:
In the last two days, the Immigration Department colleagues and also the Department of Health Centre for Health Protection colleagues have been working together. They have been to over 500 hotels and hostels to find those who are from Hubei and still staying in Hong Kong. Of course, you know most of these people as I understand from the Immigration Department, their visas are only valid for seven days. But then we understand, obviously, that these people may still be in Hong Kong. So far, after checking the 500 hotels and hostels, 49 people have been identified, and among these 49 people, 30 people either have left or will be leaving Hong Kong very soon. So I don’t have the most updated figures and these figures might be changing, but the general procedure is after we have identified these people, we will arrange for them to go to our quarantine camp and some of them, their visas may be expiring very soon, so they will leave Hong Kong and some of them may choose to leave Hong Kong immediately.

Immigration Department and Centre for Health Protection staff have inspected more than 500 hotels and hostels to find visitors from Hubei who are still staying in Hong Kong.

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan made the statement after attending a radio programme today.

Prof Chan said that although their visas are valid for seven days, the Government understands that these visitors may still be in Hong Kong.

“So far, after checking the 500 hotels and hostels, 49 people have been identified, and among these 49 people, 30 people either have left or will be leaving Hong Kong very soon.

“The general procedure is after we have identified these people, we will arrange for them to go to our quarantine camp.

“Some of them, their visas may be expiring very soon so they will leave Hong Kong and some of them may choose to leave Hong Kong immediately.”