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Mandatory hotel quarantine for UK and US travellers

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  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Windmill65:
    HK must have looked at Malaysia's experience. Malaysia initially started with mandatory 2 week quarantine for returning Malaysians (foreigners were not allowed into Malaysia at all). After a while they gave in to the many complaints about the additional costs of these hotel bills. So the government changed to requiring home quarantine. This resulted in several clusters and hotspots. All caused by returnees who did not follow the rules and did not home quarantine properly. After observing this the government very quickly implemented the mandatory 2 week hotel quarantine rule again.
    The returnee cannot choose his/her hotel, this is done by the government at the moment of his/her arrival at KL airport. The returnee is not allowed to leave his/her hotel room. Meals are delivered at the door. The hotel is monitored by the government.
    Australia also has mandatory hotel quarantine.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Windmill65:
    Returnees indeed get an armband to wear for two weeks while doing home quarantine. However, that did not prevent family members, visiting friends and the like from getting infected.
    One case got a lot of media attention: a restaurant owner had returned from a trip to India. His home is above the restaurant. Several of his staff (cooks, waiters) lived in the same house. Staff got infected by him. On top of that, during daytime he was prone to go downstairs and drink tea in his restaurant and interact with regular visitors. By the time government discovered what was going on were there over 100 cases. They imposed a lockdown for 2 weeks in that neighborhood and tested each and everyone. They also discovered that this restaurant did not keep a record of their visitors, thus further complicating contact tracing.
    Since this case has the protest against mandatory hotel quarantine subsided.
    India has a lot to answer for. Easy to see from the statistics here that travellers from India would spread far and wide given the opportunity. Since becoming a "high risk country" with mandatory testing before boarding the plane, most arrivals from these high risk countries now test negative on arrival. Not india. Still plenty of positive on arrival from india (due probably to fake or inadequate tests).

    Treating everyone at the level of the lowest common denominator may be simple, but it incurs huge costs on society. A simple questionaire may well identify those who should home quarantine vs those who should not - such as "how many other people will live in or visit the place you are in quarantine" (answer, if greater than 1 or 2, then hotel). Where did you grow up? (if a place with low education on infection etc, like India, Pakistan, then hotel quarantine). How long have you been away and where did you go? (if more than 2 or 3 weeks in a high risk country, then hotel quarantine; if not home).

    And so on.

    Not rocket science.

    Anyone coming from NZ, Australia (since Victorians cannot travel), Thailand, Taiwan, Macau (sure there are others) - no need to quarantine at all. Ie if they come from a place where the virus is equal or less than prevelance in HK - no need for quarantine.

    For other low risk countries (measured as cases per million in the past 14 days, not random HK Government views), change the day 10 test to a day 5 test and let out on day 7 if negative.

    All of these would make a great deal of difference and focus on underlying risks rather than imposing the maximum sentence on all.

    (I got out of my quarantine today.... )
    Sage likes this.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by beanso:
    -If hotel quarantine is mandated, why have price caps or subsidies not been brought in? A lot of the budget chains - Ibis, Travelodge, etc - have explicitly said they will not accept quarantiners.
    Are you suggesting that those privileged enough to travel should have their accommodation subsidized?
    angeluscomplex likes this.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by greenmark:
    That can't be enforced.
    You'd be surprised at how observant the "security guards" can be, esp. if you rock up with suitcase and tag. The posher gated residences can require HKID. details of visitors to be recorded.

  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:

    Treating everyone at the level of the lowest common denominator may be simple, but it incurs huge costs on society. A simple questionNaire may well identify those who should home quarantine vs those who should not - such as "how many other people will live in or visit the place you are in quarantine" (answer, if greater than 1 or 2, then hotel). Where did you grow up? (if a place with low education on infection etc, like India, Pakistan, then hotel quarantine). How long have you been away and where did you go? (if more than 2 or 3 weeks in a high risk country, then hotel quarantine; if not home).
    Because people never, EVER lie, they'll tell you straight up and down that their residence has X amount of people of X ages and so on and so forth. They'll tell you they grew up in the richest and most academic town of the richest and most scholarly district of the richest part of India/Pakistan etc. They'll also tell you that they were good little angels who shied away from risky COVID.19 areas.

    As they say in Hindi: "Paagal."

  6. #26

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    If they make a list of high risk countries, they should split it from the start and not allowing them to be anywhere near the lower risk countries. Unless I am mistaking the queues were really close to each other and I did not see any separation. HK logic at it again


  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by angeluscomplex:

    As they say in Hindi: "Paagal."
    Or as I would say.. Bhen....
    bak875 likes this.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    India has a lot to answer for. Easy to see from the statistics here that travellers from India would spread far and wide given the opportunity. Since becoming a "high risk country" with mandatory testing before boarding the plane, most arrivals from these high risk countries now test negative on arrival. Not india. Still plenty of positive on arrival from india (due probably to fake or inadequate tests).

    Treating everyone at the level of the lowest common denominator may be simple, but it incurs huge costs on society. A simple questionaire may well identify those who should home quarantine vs those who should not - such as "how many other people will live in or visit the place you are in quarantine" (answer, if greater than 1 or 2, then hotel). Where did you grow up? (if a place with low education on infection etc, like India, Pakistan, then hotel quarantine). How long have you been away and where did you go? (if more than 2 or 3 weeks in a high risk country, then hotel quarantine; if not home).

    And so on.

    Not rocket science.

    Anyone coming from NZ, Australia (since Victorians cannot travel), Thailand, Taiwan, Macau (sure there are others) - no need to quarantine at all. Ie if they come from a place where the virus is equal or less than prevelance in HK - no need for quarantine.

    For other low risk countries (measured as cases per million in the past 14 days, not random HK Government views), change the day 10 test to a day 5 test and let out on day 7 if negative.

    All of these would make a great deal of difference and focus on underlying risks rather than imposing the maximum sentence on all.

    (I got out of my quarantine today.... )
    My Estate in New Delhi has lesser cases than New Zealand. I deserve home quarantine.

  9. #29

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    It seems contradictory that the Country which reported 95k+ cases once can have so many fake tests ... I feel, it's something to do with test sensitivity ... India, def, not catching CT40 infections.


  10. #30

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    @sunyhk - CT40 could be an issue...


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