The Government today announced the mechanism for legal practitioners, arbitrators or mediators providing necessary professional services in the Mainland, Macau or Taiwan to apply for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangement. 

It said the Department of Justice has started processing applications.

In accordance with the amended Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation, the Chief Secretary may designate any person or category of people for exemption from quarantine if their travelling is necessary for purposes relating to manufacturing operations in the interest of Hong Kong's economic development.

The Chief Secretary has exempted two more categories of people from the quarantine arrangement.

They include an arbitrator, mediator or qualified legal practitioner acting as a counsel for a party in arbitration, mediation or litigation proceedings, who returns to Hong Kong from the Mainland, Macau or Taiwan after provision of services.

The other category is an arbitrator, mediator or qualified legal practitioner acting as a counsel for party in arbitration, mediation or litigation proceedings, who travels from the Mainland, Macau or Taiwan to Hong Kong to provide services.

An exempted person must only travel to and stay in the area or city where the professional services are provided, and must take every precautionary measure to ensure personal hygiene and avoid unnecessary social contact whilst there.

After returning to Hong Kong, the exempted person will be subject to medical surveillance arranged by the Department of Health for a period of 14 days.

Currently, travellers to the Mainland would still be subject to the 14-day compulsory quarantine requirement imposed by Mainland authorities.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is discussing with Mainland authorities the mutual recognition of COVID-19 testing results conducted by recognised medical laboratories, with a view to exempting the quarantine requirement for Hong Kong travellers to the Mainland.