Is this Why Hong Kong Cancelled All HKIA to Mainland Ferries?

On March 1st, all remaining ferry voyages from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to ALL ports in Mainland China were cancelled (more on this here).  This came just one day after ferry service from HKIA to Shenzhen was abruptly cancelled. The Shenzhen route cancellation was announced one day earlier; coincidentally, at about the same time that Shenzhen's first imported case of the new coronavirus entered Hong Kong.

On March 1st, it was officially announced that Shenzhen had received it's first reported case of Covid-19.

The patient had traveled to and from Hong Kong and London then to Shenzhen by Ferry

At 9 a.m. on March 1st, the Guangdong Health Commission published that earlier that morning, the Shenzhen Municipal Commission of Health reported a confirmed case of overseas imported new coronavirus pneumonia. Details are as follows:

Patient, male, 35 years old, works in Bristol, UK. On February 27, he took flight CX250 from London to Hong Kong. Arrived at Hong Kong Airport at 13:27 on February 28, took the ferry (ship 3A109) from Hong Kong Airport SkyPier to Shekou Port at 15:30, and entered the port at 16:32. His temperature was normal at that time. He took a taxi to his home in Futian from the Shekou Port at 16:45. The patient was wearing a mask throughout the journey.
At 7 am on February 29, the patient developed symptoms of cough and fever. At 10:00, the family members drove to the fever clinic at the Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen Hospital. At 9 p.m., he was swabbed, screened and tested positive for the new coronavirus. At 23:00, the patient was transferred to Shenzhen Third People's Hospital for isolation and treatment. At 00:40 on March 1st, the Shenzhen CDC's confirmed he was positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid. The patient is currently in stable condition.

According to the Shenzhen Health Commission, after preliminary investigation, as of March 1, there were 93 close contacts of the case, and 46 people have now been quarantined (4 family close contacts, 1 taxi driver, and ferry crew). 11 people, 28 ferry passengers, 2 customs close contacts), none of them showed any abnormalities. Another 47 ferry passengers (including Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreigners) are under investigation, 22 of them are being tracked down and transferred to the quarantine point. For 25 people from Shenzhen, Shenzhen has sent a letter requesting off-site investigation.

According to preliminary understanding, the patient has no history of travel in Hubei, and two colleagues at the British workplace showed symptoms of cough and fever.

The Guangdong Provincial Health and Health Committee notified the Hong Kong health department of the relevant situation in the early morning of March 1.

More than 200 people have been quarantined

According to the notice published at the patient's apartment building it, along with its more than 200 residents, has been placed on lockdown until March 14th.

Source: 急寻同乘者！深圳报告首例境外输入病例，曾坐这些航班！200多人被隔离

So how does this affect ferry service to / from Hong Kong International Airport?

As we previously reported, ALL ferry voyages leaving Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to ALL ports in Mainland China have been cancelled.

As of this morning, ferry service is still running with adjusted schedules from ports in mainland China to HKIA; including from Shekou, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Donguan. Ticket sales are also still available via China Merchants Shekou Cruise Home Port Official WeChat Account (ID: cmhk-xl).

Shekou-Hong Kong Airport RouteEffective February 28, 2020Online ticket sales is available via the China Merchants WeChat ticketing system
Shekou → Hong Kong Airport Departure time:

• 7:15, 8:45, 10:00, 11:15, 12:15, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:30, 19:30

Shekou-Zhuhai Jiuzhou Route:Effective February 26Shekou → Zhuhai Jiuzhou:

• 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 17:30 (6 classes in total)

Zhuhai Jiuzhou → Shekou:

• 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 17:30 (6 classes in total)

Things are changing constantly so scan the QR Code below for up-to-date ferry information before your departure.

What's Up With the Visa Extension Policy We've Been Hearing?

Yes, everyone's talking about the announcement yesterday that foreigners can get a two-month extension on their visas due to the virus situation. We are currently collecting answers to pressing questions that have come up since the announcement was made, that were not initially addressed, and will publish as soon as we have solid, complete, and actionable information you can safely rely on. Be sure to follow ShekouDaily on WeChat, or visit ShekouDaily.com, for the latest.

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