Coronavirus: Hong Kong ‘to review rules’ for issuing provisional vaccine passes to travellers after tourist brags about lax jab requirements
- Source says authorities considering raising jab threshold for temporary vaccine pass, with health expert arguing move would ensure everyone is treated equally
- Daily Covid-19 infection tally remains under 10,000 for fifth day as Hong Kong logs 7,579 new cases on Wednesday
Hong Kong will review the criteria for issuing provisional vaccine passes needed to enter most public premises, the Post has learned, after an arrival bragged on social media that she could “go anywhere” despite never having been inoculated against Covid-19.
Requiring arrivals to meet the same criteria that residents must to obtain the pass would ensure everyone was treated equally, said Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, co-chairman of the Medical Association’s advisory committee on communicable diseases, on Wednesday. The exemption was not ideal as it could give a wrong impression and contradicted China’s policy on encouraging vaccination, he argued.
“The risk of travellers from the mainland getting Covid in Hong Kong is high. They need to balance this. If they are infected here, will they occupy our public healthcare system? Will it tighten the supply of isolation wards?” Tsang told a radio programme.
A government source earlier said authorities were discussing whether travellers should be required to have received three vaccine shots, the same number that residents must have, to enter shopping malls, restaurants and about a dozen other types of venues.
The review was prompted by a social media uproar over a mainland Chinese traveller who said she had free rein of Hong Kong despite being unvaccinated against Covid-19.
