'Further Easing Possible If No Rebound After Sevens'

A medical expert said on Saturday that more Covid rules could be relaxed - such as allowing eating and drinking at social events and easing restrictions on inbound travellers - if the city's epidemic situation remains stable after this weekend's Rugby Sevens.

Professor David Hui, a government advisor on the pandemic, said he believed it’s unlikely that coronavirus figures would rebound significantly.

"For the Rugby Sevens, I think they have (the) vaccine pass, so people actually have to receive vaccination, and they have also performed the daily rapid antigen test to prove that they are negative,” he said.

“So under this sort of controlled conditions, they are allowed to eat at certain designated place. If the rugby sevens does not lead to any rebound, there should be more social events going in the same direction," he said.

Hui reiterated the importance of boosting vaccine take-up among the elderly and children, reminding parents that the baby and toddler BioNTech jabs have become available in Hong Kong.

He said as the city’s vaccination rate increases, some restrictions imposed on inbound travelers such as the so-called “zero plus three” arrangements could be eased further.

However, Hui noted that if the measures were relaxed too quickly, it might affect Hong Kong’s discussions with the mainland on quarantine-free travel across the border.