Hong Kong top officials to ‘undergo 3-day hotel quarantine’ ahead of visit by state leaders to mark city’s 25th handover anniversary
- Source says those taking part in ‘closed-loop’ arrangement to avoid high-risk locations, gatherings for four days before undergoing three-day hotel isolation
- Health protocol still being finalised by authorities, with currently no word on whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will head visiting delegation
Top officials and staff involved in celebratory events to mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule will only need to quarantine at designated hotels for three days during the last week of June under a revised “closed-loop” arrangement, multiple sources have said.
Anyone taking part in the health protocol would also undergo a four-day self-managed period during which they must avoid high-risk locations and public gatherings, before isolating at a designated hotel for three days, a source familiar with the matter said.
“The rules will include not going to crowded places, like pubs, or venues where air circulation is not good,” the insider told the Post.
“It’s a balance of risk and more flexibility is being considered. The direction is asking people to behave for the first four days, then go to designated quarantine hotels for the last three days, where you will undergo testing.”
The closed-loop arrangement, which the administration is still finalising, is part of preparations for a possible visit by state leaders to mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover.
‘Closed-loop’ plan for Hong Kong top officials ahead of 25th handover anniversary
The insider added that a number of hotels had been shortlisted to accommodate those taking part in the health protocol.
Another source also said the original seven-day hotel quarantine period for those who could have close contact with visiting state leaders was likely to be shortened to three days.
Last week, the Post reported that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, ministers and permanent secretaries, as well as non-official members of the Executive Council, her de facto cabinet, would be placed under a stringent system preventing them from meeting outsiders for one week before the potential arrival of the delegation from mainland China.
Sources last week said 1,000 staff, security guards and police officers involved in the anniversary celebrations were also likely to undergo a seven-day closed-loop arrangement.
Incoming leader John Lee Ka-chiu and his governing team are also expected to participate in the health protocol.
While it remains unclear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will head the delegation arriving from the mainland, Lam had earlier vowed that the city government would “wholeheartedly devote itself to creating conditions” for state leaders to visit at the end of the month.
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Hong Kong Police practise Chinese-style ‘goose-step’ march ahead of 25th anniversary handover events
According to Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung last month, protecting the visiting delegation from Covid-19 infection and terrorist attacks are among the challenges faced by local law enforcement during the 25th anniversary of the handover.
Several health experts have already warned of a rebound in cases just two weeks ahead of the celebrations as Hong Kong on Wednesday reported 1,047 coronavirus infections, the first time the figure had surpassed 1,000 since April 13.
A check by the Post, meanwhile, found that two five-star hotels in Wan Chai – the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, where Xi stayed during his visit to the city in 2017, and the Grand Hyatt – were closed to guests from June 27 to July 2 and June 28 to July 2 respectively.
The Chief Executive’s Office has not responded to inquiries by the Post.
‘1,000 workers to enter quarantine for Hong Kong anniversary event’
Separately, a source familiar with the formation of Lee’s governing team, said Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan stood a high chance of becoming the next civil service minister, while incumbent Patrick Nip Tak-kuen was likely to head the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
Multiple sources revealed that picks for Lee’s governing team had been finalised last Saturday.
Another two sources with knowledge of the selections, said the incoming leader was also finalising a list of top advisers for his Executive Council.
One insider said that current Exco members from several pro-establishment parties were likely to stay on as part of Lee’s cabinet.
The source noted the list of executive councillors likely to remain as top advisers to the new leader included Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of the New People’s Party, Business and Professionals Alliance vice-chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung and Liberal Party leader Tommy Cheung Yu-yan.
Martin Liao Cheung-kong, who is the convenor of the pro-establishment lawmakers, was also likely to stay on, while Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, would join John Lee’s de facto cabinet, the insider said.
But several sources also said four incumbent Exco members, including the current convenor, Bernard Chan, executive councillors Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan and Wong Kwok-kin, of the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), were all expected to step down.
Lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau-pei, the president of the FTU, would take over Wong’s position in the Exco, while Cheung was tipped to become the deputy secretary for justice in the next administration, the insiders said.
Hong Kong lawmakers keep up grilling over need to overhaul government
Both sources added that Ip, fellow executive councillor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and former constitutional affairs minister Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, who served as a deputy director of Lee’s campaign office, were among the candidates shortlisted for the post of Exco convenor for the non-official members.
The speculation over who would fill the top spots in the cabinet came as the Legislative Council approved the government’s restructuring proposal.
The overhaul of the city’s administration will increase the number of policy bureaus from 13 to 15, while deputy posts will be created to assist the chief secretary as well as the ministers for finance and justice.
Additional reporting by Tony Cheung
