'New Restaurant, Bar Rules Aren't Backed By Science'

Infectious disease expert Leung Chi-chiu warned on Wednesday that the government's "vaccine bubble" plans for restaurants and bars are not backed up by science, and can't be relied upon to prevent coronavirus transmissions.

From Thursday, bars will be allowed to reopen and restaurants can operate longer and seat more people at a table, as long as they follow a series of new requirements set out by the government.

There are multiple scenarios for venues to operate under, depending on whether staff have been vaccinated, whether customers have been vaccinated, how many doses people have had, whether workers are getting Covid tests, who's using the LeaveHomeSafe app, and whether "clean" and "dirty" zones have been set up.

But Leung dismissed key parts of the plan, including a relaxation of social distancing measures when staff have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

"The number of customers far outnumbers the number of restaurant workers. They [customers] are more likely to be the infection source, and they are also exposed to any customers who carry the virus," the doctor told RTHK.

"If you only require people to have one dose of the vaccine and you also do not specify the timing, for example at least 14 days after the dose, I think that may not be effective," he said.

"Even if you specify the timing, that they need to have the first dose for over 14 days, the actual protective effective varies with different vaccines. It's only estimated at 20 to 70 percent and that may not be adequate to prevent transmission."

Leung also said he doubted the wisdom of setting up "clean" and "dirty" areas in restaurants based on which groups of people have been vaccinated, saying there may be no separation in the ventilation between the different zones.

"If you really want to reduce the risk of transmission inside an indoor environment, basically you need everyone to be vaccinated, with two doses and for more than 14 days," he said.

Leung added that the outbreak situation in the territory should be the main consideration when officials consider whether or not to ease Covid-19 restrictions.