Coronavirus Hong Kong: authorities weigh vaccine pass to enter shopping malls, use public transport, source says

Name: Hong Kong to cut quarantine from 21 days to 14 for incoming travellers
Uploaded: 2022-01-28T06:45:25.000Z
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Description: Hong Kong to cut quarantine from 21 days to 14 for incoming travellers

The new requirements are being considered as part of the government’s rebranded ‘vaccine pass’ initiative

City confirms another 115 Covid-19 infections, including 111 that were locally transmitted, with at least 10 suspected to involve the Delta variant

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Residents line up for a Covid-19 shot at a mobile vaccination station in Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Elizabeth CheungandGigi Choy

Published: 2:45pm, 28 Jan 2022Updated: 2:05am, 29 Jan 2022

Hongkongers may soon need to show proof of vaccination to enter crowded places such as shopping centres and use public transport as authorities weigh the policy to battle a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, with 115 new cases confirmed on Friday.

More than 10 of the infections were from a public housing block in Wong Tai Sin district and suspected to involve the potentially more lethal Delta variant.

While some medical experts support the more aggressive push towards vaccination, one cautioned that officials should think twice before introducing “extreme” measures that could spark a backlash among the public. Frontline transport workers are also worried about traffic chaos.

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Hong Kong to cut quarantine from 21 days to 14 for incoming travellers

Among the latest cases, 111 were locally transmitted, including six untraceable infections. The other four cases were imported. About 80 people tested preliminary-positive.

Hong Kong has now recorded six straight days of triple-digit caseloads, taking the total number of confirmed infections to 13,905, with 213 related deaths. In all, 808 Covid-19 patients are being treated in public health care facilities, with all of them in a stable condition.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor set an inoculation target of 90 per cent on Thursday, adding that the government would rebrand its existing vaccine bubble scheme as a “vaccine pass”, while expanding it to cover more premises. The city’s first-dose vaccination rate currently stands at 79.1 per cent of the eligible population.

A source said the government was still examining what premises would be covered by the vaccine pass. “But the authorities will not rule out covering crowded areas with higher infection risks, such as shopping malls or public transport,” the insider added.