Letters | Coronavirus in Hong Kong: forcing restaurant employees to get vaccinated is a step too far

Employers who issue memos warning staff to get vaccinated open themselves up to compensation lawsuits in the case of severe side effects from vaccination

The government should reflect on why people are reluctant to get vaccinated or use the contact tracing app

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A restaurant employee prepares to hand takeaway food to a customer in Hong Kong on July 20, 2020 Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30am, 20 Apr 2021Updated: 7:30am, 20 Apr 2021

The Hong Kong government, in the face of what it referred to as “unsatisfactory” inoculation rates, is coercing businesses, especially those in the catering sector, to get their employees vaccinated to take advantage of the relaxing of social distancing measures. A well-known catering chain has issued an internal memo, explicitly warning its employees of the possible implications of refusing to get vaccinated by the end of the month, including but not limited to unpaid leave.

Businesses who do this are taking a great gamble as they could be sued if an employee experiences severe side effects after vaccination – or even death. In the case of death, the government may not shoulder the cost of compensation because it would be impossible for experts or even the court to attribute death entirely to the vaccines.

But company memos forcing employees to get vaccinated enable them to take their employers to court. While employees can draw on the legal aid provided by the government, businesses would have to rely on their own coffers for legal fees. They might be liable for huge amounts in compensation.

Moreover, the same set of restrictions should have been applied across different sectors. Why are those working in Disneyland or Ocean Park not subjected to the same set of measures? Why has only the catering sector been targeted?

The Lam administration has fallen into the Tacitus Trap: whatever the government does, because of its unpopularity, the people will not cooperate. The low inoculation rate, low usage of the Leave Home Safe app, and the travesty of last year’s universal testing scheme bear testimony to this.

Letters | Coronavirus in Hong Kong: forcing restaurant employees to get vaccinated is a step too far

Employers who issue memos warning staff to get vaccinated open themselves up to compensation lawsuits in the case of severe side effects from vaccination The government should reflect on why people are reluctant to get vaccinated or use the contact tracing app

Employers who issue memos warning staff to get vaccinated open themselves up to compensation lawsuits in the case of severe side effects from vaccination

The government should reflect on why people are reluctant to get vaccinated or use the contact tracing app