(To watch the full media briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating four additional COVID-19 cases, involving three females and one male.

The centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan told a media briefing in the afternoon that all four cases travelled from the UK to Hong Kong.

One of the cases involves a 55-year-old woman who developed symptoms in the UK.

The patient, a Hong Kong resident, developed a fever, cough and loss of taste and smell on March 17, Dr Chuang said.

“The fever and productive cough subsided two days later on March 19 and her loss of taste also subsided in late March.

“She came back on April 16, which is two weeks after her symptoms subsided, so I don’t think she came back to seek treatment.”

Currently, asymptomatic inbound travellers arriving on flights from the UK, US and other areas in Europe have to proceed to the Department of Health's Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) at the AsiaWorld-Expo to have samples collected of their deep throat saliva and wait for the test results there.

Starting from April 19, passengers arriving on other flights landing in mornings are also required to follow the same specimen collection arrangement.

If the number of passengers exceeds the maximum capacity of the TSCC, they will be allowed to go home or a designated place after specimen collection for compulsory quarantine.

Meanwhile, starting from today, people arriving in Hong Kong who have been to Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do in Korea, Iran or Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions in Italy in the past 14 days are required to undergo compulsory quarantine at home or a designated place, the same arrangement as other travellers arriving from other countries or areas.