The Government said that 3,600 passengers and crew on a cruise ship docked in Hong Kong are undergoing health checks in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The move came after Hong Kong was notified that three passengers from the Mainland were diagnosed with having the virus.

At a press conference today, Centre for Health Protection Chief Port Health Officer Dr Leung Yiu-hong explained the stringent steps being taken to safeguard the city.

“Our epidemiological investigation and quarantine measures are still being conducted. What we are going to do includes getting the health declaration forms from the passengers and the crew, and also temperature screening for every single individual passenger and crew onboard.

“And therefore, we also would like to see the results of our quarantine measures and epidemiological investigation to see whether we need further measures or more stringent measures to be conducted.”

Among approximately 1,800 passengers on the World Dream cruise ship, 90% are from Hong Kong. Still, Dr Leung assured that the city is in safe hands with the Department of Health’s prudent measures.

“So, for the time being, I think we cannot conclude the likely time of finishing the quarantine measures right now. And I would like to reassure all the press and Hong Kong people here, the Department of Health is adopting a prudent approach in managing this incident.”