Hong Kong Arrivals Plunge on New Mandatory Quarantine Rules

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong saw a sharp drop in the number of people entering the city after it introduced mandatory quarantine for those arriving from mainland China, its latest effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, 8,953 people passed through the three open border points, mostly via the airport, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a press briefing. Of the total, 161 travelers were placed in mandatory quarantine because they had either traveled from the mainland or had been there during the past 14 days.

Hong Kong started a mandatory two-week quarantine for mainland arrivals Saturday as it tries to contain the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 724 lives and been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.

Arrivals in the city spiked before the quarantines were implemented. The number of people who entered Hong Kong on Friday reached 95,982, a jump of about 63% from Wednesday, according to figures released by the city’s government. Of those, about 80% were Hong Kong residents.

Mainland visitors will need to isolate themselves in hotel rooms or go to government-run centers, while returning Hong Kong residents are required to stay inside their homes. Violators could face six months in prison and a HK$25,000 ($3,200) fine.

Hong Kong has confirmed 26 cases, while more than 34,600 people have been infected with the virus in China.

Lam urged people to stay indoors to save masks. Hong Kong will increase local monthly mask production to 2.5 million, while China’s State Council has helped the city secure 17 million masks, she said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Lulu Yilun Chen in Hong Kong at ychen447@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Stanley James

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