How Hong Kong is tagging and testing returning residents at the airport

Hong Kong has been taking precautions to stop the spread of Covid-19 very seriously, and its efforts are evident with the rules set in place for all returning residents. All returnees are under compulsory quarantine for 14 days with a tracking wristband, paired with a mobile app. It is also the first city to provide testing for the virus at the airport.

On Friday 10 Apr, I returned from a three-month work trip from Singapore to Hong Kong. Reluctant though I was to get on a flight, I arrived at Changi Airport Singapore, with a mask at the ready.

As it comes with no surprise, my flight was only at around 30% capacity, with passengers spread far apart from each other. I flew with budget airline Scoot, as Singapore Airlines had cancelled all flights to Hong Kong (and most other destinations) for the whole month of April. As a precaution, no meals are served on Scoot flights, and there was a bottle of water and packaged croissant on my seat when I got there.

When we arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, all passengers were ushered to the tagging section, going through several stages of temperature checks and form filling. At the wristband section, we were told to download the Stay Home Safe app, where the staff helped us to pair our wristbands to the app.

We were told to walk around the circumference of our apartment for 60 seconds once we got home, to initiate the location on the app. I had actually followed the instructions wrong for this when I got home and unfortunately stayed in one spot for the countdown. I called the hotline the following morning, got through straight away, and was told it was fine.

The other checkpoints at the airport included staff calling our contact numbers to double-check we filled in the form correctly, and then a station where they explained the whole process in detail. Failing to comply with the rules of self-quarantine, returnee residents are liable to a fine of HK$25,000 and to imprisonment for 6 months.

After explaining that I would not be able to leave my apartment for the 14-day period, a staff member asked me if I was living alone, and how I was going to get groceries. I do live alone, and thankfully, my relatives were able to arrange to get essentials to my apartment before I arrived, though if there was a situation where I could not get any help, I could call a hotline and ask someone to buy essentials for me.

To track my health, I am told to fill in a health-monitoring checklist where I track any symptoms that may occur during my isolation. They even provided me with a thermometer when I explained that I did not own one.

The process at the airport was smooth and took roughly 25 minutes. Once we were out of the airport, we were taken by bus to Asia World Expo to be tested.

The process to get tested took a little while longer, as when we arrived, we had to check our baggage in and wait in line. It took me roughly 45 minutes to see a representative, who then explained to me the saliva testing process.

Once you go through to the testing area, we used a private booth to spit in a bottle, making sure to sanitise our hands and the bottle before sealing in double bags.

I apparently will be able to receive my test results in three days — it’s only the second day so far.

From Asia World Expo, I took a taxi straight to my apartment. The taxi driver was well aware that he was taking returnee residents back home to be quarantined and I was kindly asked to sanitise my hands when I got in. As an extra precaution, we were asked to fill in a contact tracing form for the mode of transport we took home.

I received a check-up call yesterday afternoon to see if I showed any symptoms, and expect a few more in the coming days. After a few iterations of the wristband, I think they have improved and continue to improve the flow of the process on a daily basis.

I was incredibly impressed with the speed and efficiency of the whole process. All members of staff were helpful and friendly, equipped with masks, gloves, face shields, and for close contact staff, even hazmat suits. Hong Kong is really proving to be a leader in flattening the curve, and I hope that other countries can follow suit.