Coronavirus: Hong Kong expert suggests easing Covid-19 rules for schools based on pupil vaccination rates
- Incentives such as allowing full-day sessions should be offered to schools which achieve more than 70 per cent vaccine take-up among eligible pupils, says Professor Lau Yu-lung
- Officials are looking at extending the city’s Covid-19 jabs scheme to those aged 12 to 15
Professor Lau Yu-lung, who chairs the government’s scientific committee on vaccine preventable diseases, also urged schools to bolster confidence in the jabs scheme by encouraging students to discuss the benefits of immunisation among themselves.
Lau, from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), suggested tying the easing of coronavirus rules in schools to the proportion of eligible students getting vaccinated after authorities said they were looking at the scientific data for opening up jabs to children aged 12 to 15.
Hong Kong currently offers the German-made Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine only to those aged 16 and above, while the Chinese-produced Sinovac jab is available to over 18s.
Countries including the United States, Canada and Singapore have recently authorised the BioNTech vaccine for children aged between 12 and 15.
“If more than 70 or even 80 per cent of pupils at a school have been vaccinated, of course that school can resume full-day classes. Those already jabbed may even be allowed to not wear a mask,” Lau told a radio programme.
“For schools which have not met that threshold, they would only resume half-day sessions, with all students wearing masks.