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Written by: Commentary Editing Room
2020-08-07 17:30
Last update date: 2020-08-07 17:30Since the Hong Kong government implemented immigration control in February, a total of 43 categories of people have been exempted from the 14-day compulsory quarantine after entry. According to the "Hong Kong 01" query, as of the end of July, about 46,000 people have been exempted from entering the country, but the government departments do not even have complete statistical data, which makes people worry whether they are not rigorous enough.
The Food and Health Bureau, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, etc. have recorded the number of exemptions for reference. However, the Transport and Housing Bureau, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Department of Health have no statistics, ordering crew members, high-speed rail contractors, fishing boat crews, and government personnel. The number of people approved and the number of entries in the four categories are all a mystery. Incomplete data records make it difficult for experts to detect crises and loopholes in a timely manner. This not only affects the source tracking and prevention and control work, but also makes it more difficult to issue timely epidemic prevention warnings.
The exemption policy for entry into Hong Kong is based on the exempt groups and is submitted to each department for approval, but the criteria differ between each department. The Food and Health Bureau, the Education Bureau, etc. have stipulated early in the morning that exemption groups such as employees and authorized personnel of the Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital, and cross-border students must present a valid nucleic acid test report issued by an authorized institution within seven days before entering the country. The Transport and Housing Bureau confirmed the diagnosis of the crew and the crew one after another, and after the public opinion, it also increased the requirement that a negative laboratory report at the place of departure must be provided on arrival. However, the Department of Health has never specified similar quarantine conditions for personnel in protective equipment and home quarantine bracelets. Different departments have different requirements for exemption from quarantine during different periods. There are tight or loose, and no detailed records. Naturally, it is difficult to fully monitor the trend of the epidemic under exemption from quarantine.
He Boliang believes that the government should give priority to testing for the largest number of exempt categories, while strengthening law enforcement. (Information Picture/Photo by Huang Shuhui)
Statistics can be deployed
The lack of clear and open guidelines also makes it easy for exemptions to fall into chaos. For example, exempted groups "government personnel who are required to perform government-related operations" only need to prove their identity to the staff of the Department of Health at the time of customs clearance, and they will automatically be exempted, and there is no need to apply in advance. However, the government has not yet given a concrete response to the verification methods, standards, and the department responsible for this group. This kind of exempted quarantine group in a fuzzy area is naturally worrying.
Exempting quarantine measures is of course necessary, but the government must formulate comprehensive and complete public rules and implement them scientifically and rigorously. For example, Shenzhen has relatively specific regulations on the exemption of quarantine for cross-border freight drivers, and it has been adjusted and slack following the trend of the epidemic in Hong Kong. When the epidemic in Hong Kong is severe, Shenzhen will continue to reduce the freedom of quarantine-exempt freight drivers to move in the Mainland, such as stipulating round-trip time and increasing requirements for nucleic acid reports.
In contrast to Hong Kong, there are few restrictions on the route, place and time of stay for people who are exempt from quarantine, and not all people who are exempt from quarantine are required to produce basic nucleic acid test reports. Hong Kong’s quarantine exemption is like a dish of loose sand. The requirements and standards of various departments are different, and the lack of record data makes it more difficult to track and monitor. Earlier, the government admitted that the third round of the outbreak was related to the quarantine exemption policy, so it must learn from the pain and reflect on and improve it.
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