Unions said it would be unfair if contract and outsourced staff were not included. Leung Chau-ting, chief executive of the Hong Kong Federation of Civil Service Unions, said these workers also served the government.

“If the government is going to roll out this vaccine holiday to benefit civil servants, then they should also include [the other workers],” Leung said. “For outsourced workers, their contract does not include sick leave. If they go on leave, they lose their wages.”

While health experts welcomed the policy, they also urged the government to come up with incentives for age groups with low vaccination rates, including the elderly.

Guangdong in high gear to quash coronavirus outbreak

A business leader said the sector would continue to devise creative perks to boost the inoculation rate, including a matchmaking service, after property tycoons got the ball rolling on Friday with a lottery for vaccinated residents for a flat worth HK$10.8 million (US$1.4 million).

Hong Kong notched up another day of zero new infections on Sunday, and Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung urged residents to get vaccinated if they did not want the city to go backwards in its fight against the virus or face a new wave of cases.

On Saturday, one imported case was confirmed, pushing the tally to 11,837 cases, with 210 related deaths. Fewer than five preliminary-positive cases were reported on Sunday.

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Cheung also hailed the flat lottery and industry efforts.

“Recently developers have taken the initiative and donated a housing unit to be given away through lottery to vaccinated residents. This move is worthy of recognition,” Cheung wrote on his blog on Sunday.

“We welcome the business sector releasing more initiatives to encourage residents to get immunised and exercise their social responsibility.”

Sino Group, Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings announced on Friday they were sponsoring a lucky draw for a 449 sq ft, one-bedroom flat at the Grand Central project in Kwun Tong. The sponsors will also donate 20 prizes with a prepaid or credit card value of HK$100,000 each.

“All of Hong Kong needs to join the fight against the pandemic, we can’t just rely on the government … I hope soon we will see a second and third flat on offer,” he said in a television interview.

Lam said his package included “creative” matchmaking services, which would see interested parties being sent profiles of other willing singles if they had received their first jab, and meet-ups to be arranged after the second dose.

Other goodies from Lam’s coalition include flight tickets, cash prizes and medical check-ups.

“Some of the businesses that reached out to me said they were really interested in supporting the bonanza but felt their services were not too suitable, so while others are donating cash or anti-epidemic products, this matchmaking company offered a number of free services,” Lam told the Post.

Hong Kong marks zero new Covid-19 cases for first time in 7 months

He said details on the matchmaking packages were still to be worked out.

“I think Hong Kong also has a need for this kind of service – young people may not have that much time to come out and meet others,” Lam said. “If Hong Kong can return to normal as soon as possible, then we can all live and work in peace, which also includes starting families.”

The vaccination rate among young people in Hong Kong remains low, with only 10 per cent of those who have received at least one jab aged between 20 and 29.

Government pandemic adviser Professor David Hui Shu-cheong said offering incentives had become a trend, and draws and cash prizes were likely to appeal to different age groups.

Hui, a respiratory medicine expert from Chinese University, welcomed the move to offer paid leave to civil servants who got jabs, adding authorities should consider providing extra days off for recovery from side effects.

But he called the matchmaking package “redundant”, saying it was more of a public relations stunt for the firm involved.

Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory medicine specialist, said more could be done to boost the vaccination take-up rate among the elderly.

“Older people are at higher risk if there is an outbreak. The government should look into policies that encourage families to take the shots,” he said.

About 18.1 per cent of the city’s 7.5 million population received their first shot, while 13.4 per cent got their second jab.

From free flat to cash prizes – what will it take to push Covid-19 jabs?

Dr Lam Tai-hing, chair professor of community medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said the city’s inoculation rate was among the world’s lowest despite vaccines being widely accessible.

Hongkongers “should be ashamed of themselves” for not doing their part to achieve herd immunity, he added.

Lam said the government should consider allowing fully vaccinated people to go mask-free in open spaces.

“This is a public health measure, it has nothing to do with discrimination. If you’re not vaccinated, then you pose a risk to yourself and others, and to the community,” he said. “It is science-based. Unvaccinated people have much higher risk compared with vaccinated people. The restrictions should be proportionate to the risk they pose to themselves and others.”

He added the government would soon allow users of Apple products to add vaccination records to their digital wallets, while talks with Google were also under way to roll out the function for Android users.