Hong Kong starts quarantine for mainland China arrivals

This photo taken on Feb 6, 2020, shows an aerial view of the border fence (centre of Hong Kong, with the skyline of the Chinese mainland city of Shenzhen in the background. - AFP

HONG KONG (AFP): Hong Kong on Saturday (Feb 8) began enforcing a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone arriving from mainland China, a dramatic escalation of its bid to stop the deadly new coronavirus from spreading.

The vast majority of people crossing the border are expected to self-quarantine and will face daily phone calls and spot checks by officials, with up to six months in prison for those found in breach of the isolation period.