Hong Kong democrat Helena Wong has been released from prison after completing a 28-day jail term over scuffles in two Legislative Council (LegCo) meetings in 2020. However, the ex-lawmaker must undergo isolation at home after contracting Covid-19 while in prison.
The former lawmaker tested positive for Covid-19 four days before she was set to be released, according to Facebook post published by Wong on Monday.
Despite testing negative on a RAT test on Monday morning, Wong must still undergo at least one more day of quarantine at home because of the five-day isolation order. If she tests negative on a RAT test on Tuesday, she will be allowed to leave home.
“When I left Lo Wu (Correctional Institution) this morning, I was asked to wear full protective gear, and was sent back home with point-to-point transport,” Wong’s Facebook post read.
“[I] will have to prepare for the case of 47 democrats after taking some rest. [I] hope that I will never have to return to Lo Wu (Correctional Institution) in my life!” Wong wrote.
Quarantine requirements for Covid-19 patients were relaxed in December from seven days to five days.
Wong was sentenced to four weeks in prison in December after pleading guilty in two cases concerning a House Committee meeting and a LegCo meeting in 2020.
The ex-Democratic Party lawmaker is also among the 47 democrats charged under the Beijing-imposed national security law after taking part in an unofficial primary election in 2020 for the then-postponed LegCo election.
Wong is among 17 of the 47 defendants to have pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to begin later this month after the Lunar New Year.
