Following the Red Outbound Travel Alert issued today on the whole of Italy and regions in France, Germany, Japan and Spain, the Department of Health said it will strengthen health quarantine arrangements on travellers arriving from these places.

From midnight on March 14, the department’s Port Health Division will issue quarantine orders to people arriving in Hong Kong who have been to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte and Grand Est regions in France, the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Germany, Hokkaido in Japan as well as Spain’s La Rioja, Madrid and Pais Vasco regions in the past 14 days.

On that day, the arrangement will also be extended from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions to the entire country.

These people, regardless of whether they are Hong Kong residents, will be arranged to stay in a quarantine centre.

Separately, the quarantine measures announced earlier for those who have been to Korea and Iran in the past 14 days remain unchanged.

The Government has been conducting detailed assessments for formulating port health measures in response to the outbreaks of COVID-19 in countries or areas outside Hong Kong, taking into account factors, including the number, distribution and rate of increase of infected people.

The Centre for Health Protection reminded members of the public that several confirmed COVID-19 cases that were recently recorded in Hong Kong were related to a tour group to India.

This indicates the possibility of community transmission there.

Meanwhile, as the transmission of the virus has been increasing around the world, people are advised to consider delaying all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

Before travelling outside the city, members of the public should be aware of the potential health risks and applicable quarantine arrangements upon returning to Hong Kong.