Coronavirus: Hong Kong vaccine pass ‘expected to apply to children aged 5 to 11, require 2 jabs’
- Source says government will provide ‘sufficient transition period for children to get vaccinated’
- Chief Executive John Lee set to propose new internal quarantine arrangements for travellers crossing border with mainland China
Children aged between five and 11 in Hong Kong will need to have two coronavirus jabs to enter restaurants and other public premises under an expected move by authorities to extend the vaccine pass to younger residents, the Post has learned.
Instead of three shots required for adult residents, sources said children would only be required to take two doses of either the German-made BioNTech or Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine to qualify for the scheme.
“The government will make sure there is a sufficient transition period for children to get vaccinated,” a source said when asked about a timeline for the scheme. “Both vaccination records in smartphones and paper format will be acceptable. They are not required to use the ‘Leave Home Safe’ app.”
“We hope to protect children from Covid-19 infections, which may result in severe symptoms and hospitalisation,” another source explained.
A third source told the Post the idea was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between government pandemic experts in which they suggested the appropriate cut-off age was five years, as the BioNTech vaccine was currently not available for younger children.