Hong Kong will ease quarantine restrictions on travellers from China, providing exemptions for college students crossing the border daily and any arrivals deemed economically important, the city's health chief said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press briefing, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said that the relaxed measures were because the town government was satisfied that the COVID-19 crisis on the mainland was largely in check, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.
Despite those adjustments, Chan also announced the extension of immigration restrictions for general visitors by one month to June 7, which the need for visitors to report their health and travel history would be extended to August 31.
But the precise date of the change was yet to be confirmed.
The city recorded no new coronavirus cases for a 3rd day during a row on Tuesday.
It was the fifth time in nine days there have been no new infections, with the entire number of cases now at 1,037.
At an equivalent briefing, Deputy Secretary for Food and Health Howard Chan said the govt would consult the relevant sectors on the standards and procedures of applying for exemptions from quarantine measures, and would make an announcement as soon as possible.
The city government previously said social-distancing measures, including a ban on most gatherings of quite four people, would stay in situ until a minimum of May 7, reports the SCMP newspaper.
Hong Kong currently denies entry to any residents of Hubei province, where the pandemic oriinated in its capital Wuhan last December, and non-Hong Kong residents who have visited the province within the previous 14 days.
No non-city residents are allowed into Hong Kong from overseas by plane.
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