Pair to be prosecuted for skipping quarantine

The Department of Health said four people were stopped while attempting to leave the city. Photo: RTHK

The Department of Health says it will bring prosecutions against two people who it says attempted to escape Hong Kong when they should have been spending 14 days in quarantine at home.



The department alleged on Monday that the pair were among four people who failed to comply with quarantine measures implemented on February 8. The measures force anyone who has been on the mainland in the 14 days before they entered Hong Kong to spend two weeks at home.



It says the four were all intercepted by Immigration Department officers at border control points. All were ordered to go to quarantine camps as health officials and the police began their investigations.



The Department of Health said it had asked a court to issues summonses against two people, while it and the police are continuing to gather evidence for the Department of Justice to make a decision on prosecuting the other two.



Under the regulations, people who break quarantine are subject to fines of up to HK$25,000 and up to six months in prison.



Health officials say they've also been in contact with two people in quarantine who were reported to have left the subdivided flat they were supposed to stay in because it lacked its own toilet.



They established that the flat did, in fact, have en-suite facilities. However one of the people admitted going out to buy food and was given a warning.



Under the quarantine rules, Hong Kong people who've visited the mainland are supposed to stay at home, while visitors must remain in their hotel or other suitable accommodation. People with nowhere else to go are admitted to quarantine camps.