The Union health ministry stated that any person tested positive or detected as symptomatic shall be shifted to identified Covid-19 dedicated Covid care centre or Covid hospital.

These people completed the requisite quarantine and were given departure from Chhawla, Camp, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey said.

The group included 53 Afghan nationals – 34 men, nine women and 10 children – and 25 Indian nationals – 18 men, five women and 12 children – according to ITBP.

They reached the ITBP quarantine facility on August 24 after being airlifted from Afghanistan.

The ITBP said that 35 people (24 Indian and 11 from Nepal) are still under quarantine at their Chhawla camp and will be released after completing the 14-day period on September 8.

The evacuees are being provided services like food, lodging, indoor games, Wi-Fi and canteen free of cost. Yoga and stress counseling sessions are also being organized by stress counselors, according to ITBP.

The ITBP facility at Chhawla is credited to have established the first 1,000 bed quarantine centre in the country. It kept more than 1,200 people, including 42 nationals from eight countries, under quarantine from January to May, 2020.

The rule change is due to take effect from the end of the month, she said. The Chinese-ruled city has some of the toughest quarantine rules globally with residents mandated to stay for up to 21 days in hotels after arriving.

The move to reduce the quarantine duration comes as the government tries to incentivise more of its 7.5 million population to get COVID-19 vaccinations. So far only around 17% of residents have been fully vaccinated since the scheme started in February. For those arriving from countries deemed “very high risk” the quarantine period remains unchanged at 21 days.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan, speaking at the same press conference, said some social distancing measures including increasing capacity at restaurants and bars would be eased from June 24 for vaccinated residents.

Hong Kong authorities have over the past month piled pressure on businesses and financial institutions to encourage vaccinations and urged them to grant employees a day off for each jab.

Many corporates have unveiled incentives and rewards for vaccinations while some companies and private clubs have threatened to deny pay rises or lay off workers if staff do not get jabbed.

The former British colony has largely controlled the virus with around 11,800 infections and 210 deaths, with the majority of residents choosing to delay vaccinations. There remains a surplus of unused vaccines and some are about to expire, the government said.