ExplainerWhy is Hong Kong’s coronavirus ‘vaccine bubble’ plan already drawing flak, and how does it compare to similar efforts globally?

In a bid to boost sluggish vaccination rates, Carrie Lam’s new scheme is offering city residents greater freedom, but private businesses are up in arms about rules changes they have to manage

Countries like Israel offer an example of widespread acceptance of Covid-19 jabs accompanying concrete rewards such as travel passes, but experts warn against pushing Hongkongers too hard

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Hong Kong’s latest efforts to incentivise coronavirus vaccinations have proved unpopular with some. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:05pm, 14 Apr 2021Updated: 5:27pm, 14 Apr 2021

Hong Kong’s incentive-laden plan to boost its sluggish Covid-19 vaccination uptake has prompted an outcry from some of the sectors most affected by the looming rules changes.

Hailing it as a “new direction in fighting the pandemic”, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Monday unveiled a “vaccine bubble” scheme that would allow for the easing of numerous social-distancing measures, including changes tied explicitly to Covid-19 vaccinations.

The plan, which aims to push the city towards eventual herd immunity, will give vaccinated residents greater freedom to dine out in bigger groups, travel abroad and visit care homes.

But it drew an immediate backlash from food and drink sector representatives, who questioned its workability and suggested the responsibility for getting a wary public vaccinated was being unfairly placed on their shoulders.

As of Tuesday, just 8.2 per cent of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents had received their first jab since the inoculation programme began in late February, while 4 per cent had got two doses. Health experts have suggested a vaccination rate of 70 per cent is necessary for herd immunity.

Below, the Post looks at why the new plan has been the subject of resistance, whether experts believe it will be an effective strategy, and how countries around the world have incentivised their citizens to take the jab.