The Government today announced it has gazetted specifications to impose conditions on travellers who visited specific high-risk places within 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong to reduce the number of imported cases.

The specifications under the Prevention & Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances & Travellers) Regulation (Cap 599H) were made in view of the development and severity of the COVID-19 epidemic situation in the city.

A traveller who, on the day which they board a civil aviation aircraft that arrives at or is about to arrive in Hong Kong, or during the 14 days before that day, has stayed in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa must provide documents showing they tested negative for COVID-19 and their room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong.

The operator of the specified aircraft should submit to the Department of Health, before the aircraft arrives in Hong Kong, a document confirming that each relevant traveller has produced such documents.

The specifications will come into effect on July 25.

People who are in transit in Hong Kong and those exempted by the Chief Secretary from compulsory quarantine under section 4(1) of either the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap 599C) or Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap 599E) will not be affected.

If any of the conditions are not met in relation to any relevant traveller on the conveyance, the conveyance's operator is liable to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

An operator who fails to comply with the requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading, is also liable to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

Any traveller coming to Hong Kong who fails to comply with the requirements to provide information is liable to a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months.