Burst
Written by: Liu Dingan, Chen Yongwu
2020-03-19 06:00
Last updated: 2020-03-19 06:08The outbreak of new coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) continued. The Hong Kong government announced earlier that it issued red outbound travel alerts to all overseas countries and territories; the Department of Health also expanded the health quarantine arrangements accordingly, starting at 00:00 today (19th), starting in China. Arrivals in all areas except Hong Kong, regardless of nationality and travel documents, are subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine. All persons subject to compulsory quarantine will receive an electronic hand strap and use it with a mobile app.
The Cathay Pacific CX104's return flight from Melbourne, Australia was originally scheduled to arrive at around 9pm yesterday (18th), but the aircraft failed before the local takeoff, and the takeoff has been delayed by about 6 hours after processing. I arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport at about 3:30 am today (19th). It became the first overseas passenger aircraft arriving in Hong Kong after the new law came into effect. At the same time, the passengers on board were also the first people to wear a hand strap to track and monitor household quarantine.
Wang Tai wears a hand strap in her left hand. (Photo by Chen Yongwu)
After a flight of about 10 hours, Cathay Pacific CX104 flight finally returned to Hong Kong, but passengers on board had to undergo compulsory quarantine. Mrs. Wang, who is a medical staff member, is also a passenger on the flight. After entering the country, she told reporters that the medical staff of the Department of Health put on a hand strap for her and other passengers immediately after she landed, and then entered and passed through customs.
Wang Tai pointed out that she and her husband and children, a family of four set off earlier to visit relatives in Melbourne. However, after hearing Zheng Zheng's announcement of the latest quarantine measures, Wang Tai flew the air tickets and planned to return to Hong Kong before the mandatory quarantine order took effect. She managed to purchase a high-priced flight ticket to Hong Kong last night, leaving her husband and children to continue visiting relatives in the local area. However, it did not work as expected. In the event of an aircraft failure, the delay caused her to escape home isolation for 14 days. She said that the medical staff explained to her how to use the hand strap and phone app. After returning home, she scanned the QR code of the hand strap and did not need to take it off. After the quarantine on the 14th, she could cut the hand strap by herself. .
When asked about local conditions in Australia, Mrs. Wang said that many masks and hygiene products were wiped out in Melbourne's supermarkets. Although food was available, it began to be out of stock. The culture of the locals is different from that of the Hong Kong people. Hong Kong people wear masks and rub their hands with alcohol, but the local people have a low awareness.
Foreign student Mr. Liu felt helpless about the flight delay.
Mr. Liu, an international student, said that because his family was worried about the epidemic, he rushed back to Hong Kong and added a 2,000 Hong Kong dollar transfer ticket in order to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. He felt helpless about the delay caused by the flight. He pointed out that local people discriminate against Chinese people wearing masks, and have heard that local people will scold others for wearing masks. As for the situation of local daily necessities, he said that the school would buy them on his behalf, so he was not too worried. He also pointed out that some people on the Internet "bartered," such as 10 rolls of toilet paper for Pizza.
Persons arriving from overseas, regardless of their nationality, must be segregated. (Photo by Chen Yongwu)