(To watch the whole press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is tracing the close contacts of an imported COVID-19 case.

The centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan made the statement at a press briefing this afternoon.

Dr Chuang pointed out the 69-year-old female patient was symptomatic during her flight from India to Hong Kong on February 24.

She also noted that the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases considers close contacts to be people sitting within two seats from an infected case.

“That’s why we’ll trace all those passengers. We’ll consider them as close contacts, and also the crew members who served the case, as close contacts.

“So, we’ll regard other crew members and passengers as other contacts and keep them under medical surveillance only.”

Responding to a question regarding the classification of the case as an imported one, Dr Chuang explained that the patient visited India from January 31 to February 24 and developed diarrhoea on February 23.

The patient also felt malaise and was in poor condition, she said.

“Because she had onset of symptoms before she came back to Hong Kong, that’s why we consider her as an imported case of infection.”