Quarantine relief for mainland plant bosses

The processing of applications to exempt those operating factories in the mainland and their staff from compulsory quarantine arrangements has begun.

The trade and industry department said yesterday that local firms operating factories in the mainland can apply to have their owner and one employee, or two staff, exempted from the 14-day quarantine when re-entering Hong Kong.

The relaxed measures for companies and cross-border students were first announced by food and health secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee on Thursday.

The government has yet to disclose further details, as the arrangement announced yesterday is for business owners or staffers.

Those exempted will only be allowed to travel to the cities where their factories are located.

Once back, they should be put under surveillance by the department of health, and are obliged to wear masks, report any discomfort and receive body temperature checks daily.

They are also advised to avoid unnecessary social contact while in the mainland and take personal hygiene precautions.

The Federation of Hong Kong Industries welcomed the new arrangement, saying it could help alleviate unemployment in the SAR.

"We believe this can reduce operational difficulties faced by cross-boundary corporations and lower the unemployment rate somewhat, especially for high-skilled workers doing mainland-related work," the federation said.

Starting from February 8, anyone arriving from the mainland is required to undergo quarantine for two weeks.

Government officers have organized home visits, made phone calls and utilized real-time location sharing applications in an attempt to make sure they abide by the order, which is expected to end early next month.

There has been much talk of loosening up the quarantine requirement for business personnel since last month, as the number of new infection cases of Covid-19 has dropped significantly in recent weeks.