Eleven officials ordered to undergo home isolation

The government on Sunday said that 11 officials, who attended a recent banquet and had their quarantine orders lifted, will have to use their vacation leave to isolate at home.

The announcement follows the discovery of another preliminary positive Covid case, involving a 43-year-old woman, who was at the birthday party of National People’s Congress delegate Witman Hung, attended by almost 200 people.

In a statement released late Sunday, the authorities said that after a 53-year-old woman – who attended the party and tested preliminary positive – turned out not to have Covid-19 after all, the Centre for Health Protection lifted quarantine orders for partygoers who left the banquet before 9.30pm, including the 11 officials.

But to minimise the risk of possible transmission, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has instructed the 11 officials to “continue to undergo home isolation”.

They include seven politically appointed officials and the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, two heads of departments, and one directorate civil servant. They will also have to be tested for the coronavirus multiple times.

The officials will return to work once their results are confirmed to be negative.