01 Investigation
Written by: Chen Xinxi, Zheng Jiaru, Liang Zurao
2020-08-04 21:39
Last update date: 2020-08-04 21:39In the middle of last month, a foreign male crew member was diagnosed after arriving in Hong Kong. According to the Department of Health, he had developed symptoms two days before he arrived in Hong Kong, but he was still exempted from quarantine and entered Hong Kong according to the regulations at the time.
In its reply to "Hong Kong 01", the Department of Health confirmed that the crew member boarded the ship in the Philippines in early July and accompanied the ship to Yantian Port in Shenzhen. The diagnosis was then confirmed upon arrival in Hong Kong. This is the first time that the department confirmed that in addition to the plane, a crew member came to Hong Kong with a cargo ship.
The Hong Kong government tightened crew quarantine measures last week, but crew members who came to Hong Kong with cargo ships are still exempted from compulsory quarantine. The Department of Health only stipulates that they should not go ashore while the vessel is in port. Quarantine is looser than in the Mainland and South Korea.
The Department of Health responded to the inquiry of "Hong Kong 01" and confirmed that a foreign male crew member was diagnosed after arriving in Hong Kong with the cargo ship on July 11. The picture shows the cargo ship "CMA CGM ROSSINI" to which he belongs. The cargo ship was required to be quarantined at sea on Lamma Island for the 14th due to the crew member's diagnosis. (Profile picture/Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Six cargo ship was isolated due to the diagnosis of the crew member. Department of Health: One person came to Hong Kong with the ship
"Hong Kong 01" reported earlier that six cargo ships had to be quarantined at sea on Lamma Island for 14 days due to their crew members. The Department of Health stated at a press conference on the epidemic that the six crew members involved arrived in Hong Kong via the airport. However, the department corrected it in its written reply to "Hong Kong 01" a few days ago. Five of the six people arrived in Hong Kong by plane, and the remaining one came to Hong Kong with a cargo ship.
The 40-year-old male crew member who came to Hong Kong with the cargo ship has a confirmed case number of 1476. According to the original announcement of the Department of Health, he arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines on July 11 and was subsequently sent to hospital by the Port Health Department. He was diagnosed on the 13th. The symptoms included fever, loss of taste and smell. Investigation by the Department of Health personnel found that he was earlier than Symptoms began to appear on the 9th (two days before coming to Hong Kong).
The Hong Kong government has tightened crew quarantine measures in early July, including the need to obtain a negative virus test report before arriving in Hong Kong. However, the new regulations only apply to crew members arriving from the airport. Therefore, although the male crew member has symptoms, he can still be exempted. The identity of the quarantine person enters Hong Kong with the cargo ship, and there is no need to provide a saliva sample to the Department of Health for virus testing after entry.
The Hong Kong government twice tightened crew quarantine measures in July this year, but crew members arriving in Hong Kong with cargo ships still do not need to be subject to compulsory quarantine and testing. The two people in the picture are not involved in the confirmed crew. (Profile picture/Photo by Liang Zijie)
The cargo ship berthed in Shenzhen before boarding in the Philippines on July 1
According to the epidemiological investigation of the Department of Health, the male crew member boarded the cargo ship "CMA CGM ROSSINI" in the Philippines on July 1, and left the Philippines on the next day. He berthed in Yantian Port, Shenzhen from July 4 to 5. When the cargo was dropped, he did not disembark during the period, and the cargo ship later sailed back to the high seas.
The department continued that the crew member developed a fever on July 8 and began to be quarantined on board that day. The cargo ship arrived in Hong Kong on July 11 and was arranged to berth off Lamma Island. The department sent the crew member to hospital for inspection and quarantine on the same day. He was initially diagnosed at night, and the test results of the remaining 24 crew members on board were all negative. The male crew member has been discharged from hospital.
The reporter asked the cargo ship company CMA CGM Group about the crew's itinerary and the route of infection. The spokesperson did not respond directly, only reiterating that the cargo ship was isolated in the anchor area as required by the Hong Kong government and the ship was thoroughly cleaned. According to information from the Department of Health, the cargo ship has been quarantined at sea on July 25. According to the information website Marine Traffic, the cargo ship has left Hong Kong.
Director of the Bureau of Food and Health Xu Deyi explained further tightening of crew quarantine measures at the epidemic press conference at the end of July. However, there are still loopholes in the new measures. Crew members who come to Hong Kong with cargo ships can enter Hong Kong smoothly even if they are infected. The Department of Health confirmed to "Hong Kong 01" that a crew member was diagnosed after entering Hong Kong in this way in mid-July, and he had developed fever two days before he arrived in Hong Kong. (Information Picture/Photo by Li Zetong)
The Hong Kong government has tightened twice and still missed recruiting crews entering with cargo ships without testing
In response to the third wave of the epidemic and the rapid increase in confirmed crew cases, the Hong Kong government last week suspended cargo ships that are not loading and unloading cargoes in Hong Kong to perform crew changes in Hong Kong; if such cargo ships arrive in Hong Kong, their crews are subject to 14-day compulsory quarantine. However, for cargo ships loading and unloading cargo in Hong Kong, the crew of the cargo ships arriving in Hong Kong are still exempted from compulsory quarantine, regardless of whether they change shifts in the port.
Although the Hong Kong government tightened its quarantine measures twice in July, including requiring crew members to obtain a negative virus test report 48 hours before boarding the aircraft, they need to leave saliva samples at the Asia Expo for a second test after arriving in Hong Kong; the latest measures have been determined. It is clear that the crew must wait for the test results at AsiaWorld-Expo. However, these measures are only applicable to crew members arriving in Hong Kong by plane.
As for the crew of the cargo ship arriving in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government only requires that "all crew members should stay on board and should not go ashore" during the vessel's stay in Hong Kong, and that the crew members of the shift should go directly to the airport for boarding after leaving the ship, thereby reducing contact with the community. In other words, if a crew member on a cargo ship is infected, they can still enter the country with the ship, and the Hong Kong government has no measures to identify these potential confirmed cases.
A reporter from "Hong Kong 01" earlier directly attacked a crew member who arrived at Hong Kong from the airport and went shopping in the Olympian City supermarket before boarding the ship, buying many bottles of bottled water, violating the regulations of the authorities to reduce contact with the community. The Hong Kong government earlier tightened quarantine measures against crew members arriving from the airport. However, the regulation of crew members entering the country with cargo ships is still looser than that of neighboring countries. (Photo/Photo by Hong Kong 01 reporter)
Dual inspections for mainland entry-restricted crew members must obtain a health certificate before disembarking in Sinzhou
In fact, the current Hong Kong government's quarantine measures for crew members are still looser than some neighboring countries. As early as a few months ago, the mainland had clearly ordered that foreign crew members were not allowed to change shifts there. The Ministry of Transport of the State Council issued a port work guide in July stating that ships that are converted from international routes to domestic routes "must pass the nucleic acid test before they can carry out loading and unloading operations at the port of entry."
Mainland regulations even extend to crew members who change overseas. A Hong Kong shipping agent said that the mainland requires that crew members who board and succeed in Hong Kong must obtain a negative test report in Hong Kong before they can go to the mainland port. The reporter called the entry-exit border checkpoint at Yantian Port in Shenzhen, and the staff confirmed that the request was true. They also said that the crew also had to undergo a nucleic acid test by the Chinese Customs. "They can only go ashore if they are negative."
South Korea currently requires crew members from seven high-risk countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, to submit a negative virus test certificate when they arrive there before they are allowed to enter.
As for another international shipping center, Singapore, crew members who disembark locally must stay on the ship for at least 14 days before disembarking, and must obtain a medical certificate issued by a doctor 24 hours before disembarking. The crew members who embark on the local ship must accept Compulsory quarantine on the 14th.
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