- He says he was not aware of a 14-day quarantine order already in place in the country when he arrived, two days before visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong were banned
- He is staying in a rehabilitation home and sharing a room with two mainlanders, while waiting to stand trial
A Hong Kong trader sourcing masks in Russia is facing legal action by the country's government over a quarantine violation, and could be deported.
The businessman, in his 30s and who declined to be named for fear of jeopardising his position, told the Post he was being isolated in a facility along with some 100 other Chinese people in Moscow.
Speaking under the pseudonym Sky, the trader said he arrived in Moscow on February 18, two days before local authorities banned visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong. Sky said he was never informed that a 14-day quarantine measure had been in place since February 14.
The news emerged after Russia reported its first two coronavirus cases earlier this week. Both were Chinese citizens. On Friday, Moscow deported 88 foreign nationals who contravened quarantine measures, according to state-run media, which did not report which countries the people were from or where they were sent.
Sky said he received a medical screening at the airport when he arrived, and was asked to sign a document about a 14-day home quarantine arrangement. But the terms were in Russian, which he did not understand.
During his trip, he visited Saint Petersburg and another city to source masks at local pharmacies and factories. He realised he was in trouble when he returned to Moscow on February 24, a day before he was set to leave the country.
"I was stopped by police in the subway and officers told me I had violated the quarantine order," Sky said in a phone interview. "I'm now placed under quarantine for 14 days … and the 20,000 to 30,000 masks I secured cannot be imported."
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Sky said he was being kept in a room at a rehabilitation home with a businessman and a student, both from the mainland, sharing one bathroom. The student had been quarantined a second time after being isolated at a local university.
According to Sky, each of them only received two masks a week and they were worried that hygiene conditions would deteriorate as more people arrived.
"We never have enough food. On the first night, I only got a small bun that was no larger than an egg tart. The food only improved after we made complaints to the Chinese embassy in Moscow," he said.
I don't want to be convicted, because I believe I'm innocentSky, Hong Kong trader
On Friday afternoon local time, he was requested to stand trial by live stream from the facility, but the hearing was adjourned after he insisted on having an English translator.
"From what I see in other cases, the judge will hear the defence's case and then proceed to announce a verdict. The whole process takes about 10 minutes," he said.
"Another four mainland Chinese (from the same facility) were sentenced on Thursday and deported. Some were barred from returning to Russia for three to five years. They were either students or working here. They just feel very puzzled. For instance, one final-year student was deported and could not complete his study."
Sky said his wish was now to return home as soon as possible. He used a Hong Kong passport to enter Moscow, but also holds a BNO passport. He added that the Hong Kong Immigration Department had referred his case to the Chinese embassy in Moscow, but the embassy did not clarify when he could leave the country.
Meanwhile, the British embassy told him he could potentially leave on March 2 at the earliest, after his trial.
"I'd rather they send me away, or let me leave voluntarily, but I don't want to be convicted, because I believe I'm innocent," he said.
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Sky stressed that he did not have strong feelings against Russia over the incident. "It's fair because the outbreak did happen in China first, but the local authorities should explain themselves to non-Russian-speaking people more clearly," he said.
"I was using Google translate to source masks from factories and pharmacies, some of them in rural areas. In Saint Petersburg, locals even showed me the way to pharmacies where I could buy masks. They are very friendly."
The Immigration Department said it had received a request for help from Sky's family on Friday, and it had liaised with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Hong Kong, and the Chinese embassy in Moscow.
"The Immigration Department has already reached out to the citizen, and will continue to maintain close contact with the office and embassy to provide possible assistance based on his wish," the department said in a reply.
There have been reports of Russian authorities searching Chinese nationals' homes in Moscow and sending some to quarantine camps. Facial recognition was also used to prevent travellers returning from China from leaving their home.
The Chinese embassy in Russia said it had issued a diplomatic note against Moscow on Monday over the monitoring of its nationals, "which in practice seemed to be surveillance and registering of details".
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