The Government today announced adjustments to the quarantine arrangements for locally based air crew performing duties on passenger flights to or from overseas places or Taiwan.

From tomorrow, air crew may leave Hong Kong International Airport after obtaining a negative nucleic acid test result upon their arrival.

They are subject to regular testing after their return to the local community, so as to keep their health condition under continued monitoring.

These arrangements are consistent with the prevailing arrangements applicable to locally based cargo crew.

The Government noted all locally based air crew members shall continue to comply with the closed-loop arrangements during their layover at outports in overseas places or Taiwan to avoid contact with the community in those places.

In addition, when returning from overseas places or Taiwan, they will be subject to medical surveillance, including the requirements to avoid mask-off activities in public places, refrain from going to crowded places and mass gatherings, and keep a log of their activities until the third day following their arrival.

The Government has requested airlines to put in place robust mechanisms to ensure their air crew's compliance with the medical surveillance requirements.

Airlines will be held responsible for monitoring and checking the activity logs of their air crew. In the event that airlines are found not to be exercising due diligence in compliance monitoring, or in case of non-compliance, the eligibility of the relevant air crew for the designated quarantine arrangements will be revoked.

The Government pointed out that the number and proportion of positive cases involving arrival air crew were minimal, far lower than that of the relevant numbers of general inbound travellers. The adjustments should not bring significant additional risks to the local community.

It believes the adjustments will effectively help airlines to enhance flight services between Hong Kong and other parts of the world, and enable Hong Kong to play its role as an international aviation hub and facilitate recovery of normal economic and social activities.

Separately, in view of the gradual removal of COVID-19 prevention and control requirements in overseas places, the Government announced today outbound passengers and transit passengers departing for overseas places or Taiwan will no longer be required to go through temperature screening starting tomorrow.

For inbound passengers entering Hong Kong as well as departing passengers bound for the Mainland or Macau, the temperature screening arrangements remain in place.