This petition is an initiative from the residents of Caribbean Coast, Tower 11 in Tung Chung, who have been placed under mandatory quarantine for 21 days.

The global pandemic is affecting all of us and we fully support efforts by governments to keep citizens safe and healthy, such as vaccinations, frequent testing, social distancing and the promotion of personal hygiene.

However, after careful review of the latest scientific data and World Health Organisation recommendations we have concluded that the decision to deport 1027 residents to government camps or quarantine hotels and detain them in small rooms for 21 days is not based on sound evidence, poses a threat to the health and wellbeing of everyone involved (including infants, children, pregnant women, residents with underlying health conditions and elderly people) and involves wasteful spending of public funds.

Consequences for residents

As this decision by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) sets a dangerous precedent for all Hong Kong citizens, we urge you to support our suggestions outlined below. At present, the CHP can place any group of people under mandatory quarantine, based on one suspected case and large groups of people can be labelled as ‘contacts’ in an arbitrary way. This measure is disproportionate to the actual threat and causes physical and psychological harm to the innocent citizens involved. The residents of tower 11 have reported the following consequences so far:

• Loss of income
• Health problems
• Missing doctor’s appointments/medical procedures
• Missing scheduled vaccinations
• Separation of families
• Panic attacks/anxiety due to confinement
• Students missing exams
• Children being deprived of education
• Children being deprived of exercise and fresh air
• Children being deprived of social interaction
• Separation of pets/threat to animal welfare
• Intrusion on privacy by health officials
• Disruption of work by health officials
• Risk of cross contamination in quarantine hotels and government camps
• Risk of contamination during mass mandatory testing and deportation.

 

In addition, the decision by the CHP is leading to the disenfranchisement of the public from the vaccine initiative, as fully vaccinated residents are placed under the same 21 day quarantine.

Our requests

We hereby urge Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and Dr CHAN Hon-yee, Constance, JP,  Director of Health at the Centre for Health Protection to: 

1. Clarify:

exactly what constitutes a ‘close contact’ to an infected person, and how it differs from the term ‘contact’ as mentioned on the quarantine orders, 

why Caribbean Coast staff members were not identified as contacts and therefore not evacuated,

the reason for making a distinction between living quarters and places that the infected person had visited,

why the crowds generated by the mass mandatory testing (overcrowded lifts, hour-long queues) and by the deportation in buses do not constitute a risk for contamination based on scientific evidence,

why medical staff on site were not identifiable and did not provide nursing credentials,

why plain-clothes coordination staff without PPE were allowed on site and were not considered ‘close contacts’,

why members of the public were allowed to walk next to the residents placed under quarantine/lockdown, 

why a large number of residents were deported without formal quarantine order, which constitutes unlawful detention,

why residents who were aware of their legal rights and insisted on receiving a  formal quarantine order were given a document with 20 May 2021 as the end date and were later told that the actual end date would be 21 May 2021.

2. Reconsider the blanket quarantine order for the entire tower 11, taking into account factors such as proximity within the tower block to the apartment of the infected persons, and other appropriate factors, based on sound scientific evidence, such that persons who are clearly not ‘close contacts’ by any objective analysis are freed from quarantine without delay. Where needed, alternatives, such as home-quarantine can be considered. 

3. Provide a firm commitment to publishing a clear policy for quarantine exemption without delay, with reference to vaccination status. 

4. Compensate those who have been quarantined for loss of salary/income, cancellation of medical procedures/doctor’s appointments, cancellation of vaccine appointments, the loss of pets or veterinary costs. 

5. Provide the public with a detailed overview of the expenditures/costs of each quarantine operation and a list of the contracted companies involved in such operations. 

6. Invite the World Health Organisation and/or the International Committee of the Red Cross to conduct an independent inquiry into the costs and benefits of the quarantine operation on Tower 11, including a detailed risk-assessment focusing on compliance with UN guidelines on protection from physical and psychological harm,  Human Rights and Rights of the Child. 

請願書

序

我們是被強制隔離檢疫21天的東涌映灣園第11座居民。

全球冠狀病毒疫情影響著我們所有人。我們全力支持政府為確保公眾安全和健康所作出的措施，例如接種疫苗、頻繁參與檢測，保持社交距離和保持個人衛生。

但是，在仔細閱讀最新的科學數據和世界衛生組織的建議之後，我們得出的結論是，強制1027名居民到政府營地或檢疫酒店隔離，且整整21天間必須留在所提供之細小房間的決定並非基於可靠的證據。該項決定威脅到所有需接受強制檢疫的人士（包括嬰兒，兒童，孕婦，有潛在健康問題的居民和老年人）的健康和福祉，並嚴重浪費公共資源。

行動對居民所帶來的後果

鑑於衛生防護中心（CHP）上述決定為所有香港市民樹立了危險的先例，我們希望您能採納以下建議。現時，衛生防護中心可因該處所出現一宗疑似病例而下令將該處所的所有居民強制隔離檢疫，並任意標籤該批人士為「接觸者」。這項措施與實際威脅不成比例，且對所涉無辜市民造成身理和心理傷害。強制隔離檢疫為第11座的居民帶來以下後果：

收入損失
健康問題
無法如期覆診
無法如期接受所需治療
無法如政府所言，盡市民責任，按計劃接種新型冠狀病毒疫苗
和家人分開
因強制隔離而引致驚恐發作/焦慮
學生錯過考試
兒童被剝奪接受教育的機會
兒童被剝奪運動和享受新鮮空氣的機會
兒童被剝奪社交互動的機會
和寵物強制分離/威脅動物福祉
衛生官員侵犯居民所享有的隱私權
因衛生官員而不得不中斷工作
在檢疫酒店和政府營地中存在交叉感染的風險
大規模強制檢測和移送到檢疫設施期間有被感染的風險
 

此外，由於完成接種兩劑疫苗的居民與沒有接種任何疫苗的居民同樣需接受21天強制隔離檢疫，因此我們認為衛生防護中心的決定剝奪了已完成接種兩劑疫苗居民的權利。

我們的訴求

就此，我們要求行政長官林鄭月娥和衛生署署長陳漢儀醫生：

1.  解釋：

到底何謂「與感染者有密切接觸」，它與隔離令中提到的「接觸」一詞有何不同，
 為什麼未將映灣園的工作人員界定為密切接觸者而無須撤離，
為什麼要區分居住區和感染者曾去過的地方，
根據科學證據，為什麼大規模強制檢測（需要使用擠迫的升降機和長時間排隊等候）和乘坐旅遊巴前往檢疫地點時不會對居民構成感染風險，
為什麼現場醫務人員沒有可供識別的證明並且沒有提供任何護理證書，
為什麼在現場允許沒有個人防護裝備的便衣協調人員出入，而當局不將他們視為「密切接觸者」，
為什麼允許公眾接近隔離檢疫的居民，
為什麼在沒有正式隔離令的情況下將大量居民移送到檢疫地點，岩這足以構成非法拘留，
為什麼向知道自己的合法權利並堅持只會接受正式隔離令的居民提供文件，文件上的檢疫結束日期為2021年5月20日，但其後獲工作人員告知實際檢疫結束日期為2021年5月21日。
 

2.  重新考慮第11座的全面隔離令，並考慮到諸如第11座內各單位與受感染者單位之間的距離、其他適當因素，和根據可靠的科學證據，使那些經過客觀分析後顯然不是密切接觸者無需接受隔離檢疫。如仍有需要，可以考慮以家居隔離等其他方法替代。

3. 承諾會盡快發布明確，且基於當事人疫苗接種狀況的豁免檢疫政策。

4. 補償因工資/收入損失、無法如期覆診/ 接受治療，無法按計劃接種新型冠狀病毒疫苗，丟失寵物或獸醫費用所帶來的損失。

5. 向公眾提供每次檢疫行動的詳細支出/成本的概述，以及已簽約參與該檢疫行動的公司的清單。

6. 邀請世界衛生組織和/或紅十字會對第11座進行檢疫活動的成本和收益進行獨立調查，包括詳細的風險評估，重點是有否遵守聯合國關於保護人體免受身體和心理上的傷害，人權與兒童權利等準則。