People staying in temporary accommodation provided by the Government will be charged a daily fee of $200 for accommodation and meal arrangements from tomorrow.

From midnight on February 8, the Department of Health requested that all people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland or those who have been to the Mainland in the past 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong except for Hubei Province to stay at home or other accommodation for a 14-day compulsory quarantine period.

In general, Hong Kong residents will stay at home or other dwelling places arranged by themselves for quarantine.

The Government will also provide them with information on local private guesthouses or hotels for reference.

If Hong Kong residents are unable to arrange accommodation locally, the Government will arrange for them to undergo quarantine at one of the temporary accommodation sites, namely Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre, Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre and Lady MacLehose Holiday Village.

Since the implementation of the compulsory quarantine arrangement, attendance of more than 700 has been recorded at the above three temporary accommodation sites provided by the Government.

As the occupancy rates of the three temporary accommodation sites are already close to their maximum capacity, they will be insufficient to meet the needs of all Hong Kong residents returning from the Mainland.

The Government has to reserve temporary accommodation for those in genuine need and is aware of suspected cases of people abusing the temporary accommodation.

Some Hong Kong residents frequently travelled between the Mainland and Hong Kong after the compulsory quarantine arrangement took effect on February 8 and repeatedly stayed in temporary accommodation.

Some Hong Kong citizens with local residences still insisted on staying in temporary accommodation.

In view of the situation, the Government will charge people staying in temporary accommodation from March 17 to combat abuse of the facilities and reserve places for people in genuine need.