Recovered patients in HK must now undergo 14 days of quarantine

All recovered Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong now have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a designated facility after being discharged from hospital.

The new rule, which took effect yesterday, was part of tightened measures as officials continue to press for reopening with China.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the government described it as part of its proactive anti-epidemic strategy to maintain "zero infection" - a strategy similar to that on the mainland and Macau which has drawn flak from some foreign business leaders in the community, given the tough on-arrival rules.

"As patients who have recovered from infection recently may still carry the virus, the latest arrangement would further reduce the risk of such patients bringing the virus into the community to a minimum," the statement said.

"It would also lower the risk of the virus spreading in the community due to possible re-positive situations."

The government also went further to tighten conditions for discharge from hospital.

Symptomatic patients will now need to have been afebrile, or not have a fever, for at least three days, and show significant improvements in respiratory symptoms and lung X-rays.

It must also be at least 10 days since the onset of illness before patients can be discharged.

Symptomatic and asymptomatic patients will also need to undergo two tests taken at least 24 hours apart. For an asymptomatic patient, 10 days must have passed after the individual's first positive Covid-19 test.

Professor Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said: "I am not aware of any evidence that (the new measures) will make Hong Kong any safer.

"It seems disproportionate and unfair to recovering cases who may have already been away from their families and jobs for weeks, and are now required to spend another two weeks in isolation."

But respiratory medicine expert Leung Chi Chiu said that while the chances of discharged patients re-infecting the community were "rather small", this might not be the case with future virus variants.

Hong Kong's decision to tighten discharge rules for recovered Covid-19 patients follows disquiet - particularly in the foreign business and expatriate community - over the city's tough quarantine rules as countries like Singapore and those in Europe are reopening, having opted to treat the disease as endemic.

In a move that would standardise rules, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on Tuesday that the government would soon remove most exemptions that currently allow some groups to skip mandatory hotel quarantine stays of up to 21 days.

Only people in emergency and essential services, such as cross-boundary truck drivers, would henceforth be allowed exemptions, she said.

Currently, those exempted include diplomats, who are allowed to quarantine at home, and directors of Hong Kong-listed firms carrying out activities recognised by the authorities.

Hong Kong yesterday recorded five imported cases, bringing the total tally in the territory so far to over 12,300 infections and 213 deaths - figures that are among the world's lowest.