The Government reaffirmed that there has been no change to the quarantine and isolation arrangements for local COVID-19 cases since the peak of the fifth wave epidemic.

In response to media enquiries, the Government said that Hong Kong has all along been implementing a five-tier arrangement for the isolation of local cases tested positive for the coronavirus and, where appropriate, quarantine of their close contacts at home or at designated facilities since the fifth wave of the epidemic that started at the end of 2021.

The arrangement aims to reduce disease transmission, death and severe infection in the local community, it added.

Meanwhile, the quarantine of inbound passengers from overseas and isolation of imported cases has all along been in designated hotels or facilities to prevent the importation of cases into the local community.

The Government noted that the Department of Health’s Centre for Health Protection has been adopting a stringent and consistent approach in handling the isolation of cases based on risk assessment of individual cases.

In outbreak clusters recently identified, some locally infected cases involved the importation of new Omicron sub-lineages, such as BA.2.12.1, and some imported cases involved sub-lineages such as BA.4 and BA.5, of which overseas evidence has so far indicated they have higher transmissibility and immune escape.

Based on risk-assessment, specifically the potential impact of further spread of such variants in the community, the centre has decided to put these new sub-lineage cases and their close contacts, under controlled environment for isolation for better monitoring and observation of their situation as a precautionary measure.

The Government emphasised this is a specific measure taken in respect of those cases in questions based on risk assessment and does not signify a change in the overall quarantine and isolation policy aforementioned.