The Government will extend compulsory quarantine measures for people arriving in Hong Kong from both the Mainland and foreign places.

Announcing the move in a press conference this afternoon, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said that given the development of the epidemic situation in places within and outside the Mainland, there is a need to continue restricting the movement of people between Hong Kong and other places and implement compulsory quarantine measures to prevent imported cases.

The Government will extend the expiry date of the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap 599C) by a month to July 7.

The expiry date of the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap 599E) will be extended by three months to September 18.

In the meantime, the Government holds the view that there is a need to introduce a mechanism to allow consideration of gradual relaxation of compulsory quarantine requirements for people arriving from specific countries and places after assessing the relevant public health risks.

A mechanism will be introduced to empower the Secretary for Food & Health to specify two categories of places.

People from Category 1 specified places will be subject to compulsory quarantine arrangements.

For Category 2, people from these places will be excluded from the requirements in respect of the compulsory quarantine arrangements subject to meeting certain conditions, such as obtaining a negative COVID-19 test result.

The arrangements for both categories apply to locations within and outside China, Prof Chan said.

At this stage, all places in China outside Hong Kong and all places outside China will be specified as Category 1 effective from midnight on June 5.

Unless exempted pursuant to the regulations, arrivals from these places will be subject to the compulsory quarantine arrangements.

Meanwhile, the criteria for the Chief Secretary to exempt travellers from the compulsory quarantine arrangements under Cap 599E will be expanded to cover people whose travelling is necessary for purposes relating to manufacturing operations, business activities or professional services in the interest of Hong Kong's economic development, and thus be aligned with relevant provisions under Cap 599C.

The Government gazetted the amendments today.