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Mid-level residents issue legal letter to Department of Health over quarantine
Quarantining mid-level residents issue a legal letter to the Department of Health for unreasonably quarantining them after a domestic worker was infected with a mutant Covid-19 strain.
Residents from four floors of the Kennedy Terrace served a legal letter to the department, demanding it to explain the legal basis of quarantining all residents. The letter threatened to apply for a High Court order to secure their release.
A 38-year-old domestic helper that lives in her employer’s flat in Kennedy Terrace at 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-levels, was confirmed with Covid-19 a week after she completed her 21 days quarantine when she landed in Hong Kong from the Philippines.
As she is detected with N501Y mutant strain that is of high transmissibility, the Centre for Health Protection has arranged all asymptomatic residents that live in the same building for a 21-days compulsory quarantine last Friday (April 23). While symptomatic residents will be sent to hospitals for treatment.
About 60 residents were sent to quarantine camps in Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village in Chai Wan or Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre in Lantau Island. However, residents that live on four floors of the Kennedy Terrace are dissatisfied with the quarantine arrangement.
Sing Tao Daily, The Standard’s sister paper, reported on Monday (April 26) that residents from 21, 22, 25, and 26 floors demanded the Department of Health through a legal letter to explain the legal basis of their compulsory quarantine as well as to provide a written quarantine order.
“If a reply from the department has yet to be received as of 10 pm tonight (April 24), the firm’s client will view the compulsory quarantine as false imprisonment,” citing the legal letter.
“And will consider applying an emergency habeas corpus to the High Court requesting the court to issue an order to release our firm’s clients,” The letter continues.
The letter stated that as of last Saturday (April 24), the residents have yet to be notified by the Department of Health about the legal basis of the compulsory quarantine nor received any written order for the quarantine.
The Department of Health confirmed to the media yesterday that it has received the letter and is currently being processed. “When in need, [we] will seek legal advice from the Department of Justice,” the DH spokesman added.
The department said residents involved are still under quarantine at the quarantine center.
A 38-year-old domestic helper that lives in her employer’s flat in Kennedy Terrace at 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-levels, was confirmed with Covid-19 a week after she completed her 21 days quarantine when she landed in Hong Kong from the Philippines.
As she is detected with N501Y mutant strain that is of high transmissibility, the Centre for Health Protection has arranged all asymptomatic residents that live in the same building for a 21-days compulsory quarantine last Friday (April 23). While symptomatic residents will be sent to hospitals for treatment.
About 60 residents were sent to quarantine camps in Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village in Chai Wan or Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre in Lantau Island. However, residents that live on four floors of the Kennedy Terrace are dissatisfied with the quarantine arrangement.
Sing Tao Daily, The Standard’s sister paper, reported on Monday (April 26) that residents from 21, 22, 25, and 26 floors demanded the Department of Health through a legal letter to explain the legal basis of their compulsory quarantine as well as to provide a written quarantine order.
“If a reply from the department has yet to be received as of 10 pm tonight (April 24), the firm’s client will view the compulsory quarantine as false imprisonment,” citing the legal letter.
“And will consider applying an emergency habeas corpus to the High Court requesting the court to issue an order to release our firm’s clients,” The letter continues.
The letter stated that as of last Saturday (April 24), the residents have yet to be notified by the Department of Health about the legal basis of the compulsory quarantine nor received any written order for the quarantine.
The Department of Health confirmed to the media yesterday that it has received the letter and is currently being processed. “When in need, [we] will seek legal advice from the Department of Justice,” the DH spokesman added.
The department said residents involved are still under quarantine at the quarantine center.
