Border Checkpoints Under Severe Pressure as Custom Officers Come Under Attack by Rejected Visitors

With the unceasing spread of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCov, the Hong Kong government announced on Monday (29 January) that they will be closing the borders to residents from Hubei province as well as non-Hong Kong permanent residents who have visited the province in the last 14 days. Since the implementation of this border control measure, there has been more than a few incidents between those who try to enter the border and customs officers - some who were refused entry started spitting at officers while others who were sent back were not allowed to re-enter their place of origin, leaving them stranded at the border.

Family of four from Hubei were refused entry and attacked the police and customs officers

Up to now, all 10 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV entered Hong Kong via air travel or the high-speed railway. Customs officers who process incoming travellers at the frontlines have expressed their concerns by directly contacting inMedia. On Monday, a family of four including two elderlies, one woman and a child arrived at the border. When the two elderlies were refused entry and being brought to the isolation area, the elderly male became hysterical. Police later came and subdued the elderly male while the elderly female started becoming agitated as well. She spat at a female police officer and two customs officers while being subdued. A video circulated online showed about 8 people from Hubei who were refused entry screaming “We will force our way through!”. They were stopped by customs officers in the end.

Frontline customs officers requested records of confirmed cases but were refused by the Department of Health

K, who works at the high-speed railway station at West Kowloon told inMedia that frontline officers have not been offered any health checks by the Customs and Excise Department. He said that frontline officers who asked the Department of Health for records of the confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV were refused due to privacy concerns. Hence, they were not able to evaluate their own health risks.

K also disclosed, frontline officers were not supplied with sufficient preventative equipment - only standard surgical masks. “We know there is a supply of N95 masks but they refused let us use them,” he said. As for those officers who have to escort those who were refused entry, only two protective suits were provided for each shift which was not sufficient.

“Super Blue” union not showing concern about insufficient supply of masks and protective suits

K further explained that the current procedures do not provide enough transparency as medical disclosures by visitors are processed by the Department of Health even before these visitors are handled by the Customs Department.

Because of this, frontline customs officers are kept in the dark about the health statuses of these visitors who arrive at the border. They would have little way of knowing if they had been in touch with someone who has a fever or who could even be infected. In addition, when a visitor is refused entry due to concerns about infections, the Department of Health would override this decision based on humanitarian concerns. However, this has apparently been less of an issue these past couple of days.

K also noted that the official guidelines suggest asking visitors if they have been to Hubei, but he and his colleagues know very well that no one will give a truthful answer. His feels that “there are insufficient protocols for disease prevention”. He does not have high hopes when it comes to the four customs and excise officers’ unions whom he believes to be “super blue” and pro-Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions. He and his frontline colleagues can only “pray for themselves”.

Customs officers’ open letter criticising the HKSAR government for being inept, demands full border closure and calls for more supplies of protective gear

On Monday night, an open letter from customs officers criticised the government for not implementing border control measures earlier. They said that it was too little too late and that “frontline customs officers’ lives are being put at risk”. They said that a partial closure of the border will only make matters worse. The letter also mentioned the insufficient supplies of protective gear at all major checkpoints - support staff were “only supplied with triple-layered surgical masks and latex gloves”. Once they put their protective suit on, some officers were afraid to drink water in case they had to use the toilet. When visitors were refused entry, “frontline officers were attacked relentlessly. These attacks included physical attacks, masks being pulled off, and being spat on”. Many checkpoints were overwhelmed by stranded visitors.

Also, even though Mainland authorities have stopped granting “endorsement for individual visits” for Mainland Chinese, there are still many people who hold valid “exit-entry permits” and have been endorsed previously for private visits.

The open letter was signed by “a group of customs officers who will stand with Hong Kong people”. At the conclusion of the letter, they requested for a complete closure of the borders to Mainland visitors; to repatriate all stranded visitors to Wuhan by air; and to provide frontline officers with more protective equipment. The letter warns the government that if they fail to take action to protect the Hong Kong borders, then Hong Kong’s last line of defence will collapse. However, the letter emphasised that the protection of public interests will remain a priority for frontline customs officers and will continue to ensure the safety of Hong Kong people.

The Customs and Excise Department responded saying that to date, no staff member has been diagnosed with the virus; nor has anyone displayed related symptoms; nor has anyone been isolated due to the virus. In addition, they believe that the implementation of border control policies and processing of visitors entering the border have been largely without issues. The Department also noted that they have been working closely with those responsible in Mainland to carry out repatriation in an efficient manner. They also believe that border staff have been provided with sufficient protective equipment and urged staff members to follow proper guidelines when using these protective equipment; to practise good personal hygiene; and to take necessary preventative measures. Further, the Department reminded staff members to be on high alert and to respect directives by the Department of Health.

Source : inMedia Hong Kong, January 2020