Vaccinated People May Be Spared Strict Covid Rules

The government says experts are to study whether people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 could be spared some anti-epidemic rules, including quarantine requirements.

The Secretary for Civil Service, Patrick Nip, one of the officials in charge of the SAR’s vaccination programme, told an RTHK programme on Saturday that the experts would study whether a different set of quarantine rules could be applied to arrivals from overseas if they are vaccinated against Covid-19.

“Locally, people may not need to be subject to stringent rules if the vaccines can significantly lower their infection risks. Our experts will look into that,” he said.

“Currently, arrivals are required to undergo quarantine at designated hotels for 21 days. We will study whether there’s room for adjusting the quarantine arrangements if the travellers have received Covid-19 vaccines and tested negative for the virus,” he said.

He said the idea was not aimed at encouraging people to get vaccinated, but was based on science.

He said 18 vaccination centres were expected to start operating in different districts in the middle of next month, as the SAR begins its vaccination programme after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Hong Kong recorded 45 new coronavirus cases on Friday, 42 of which were locally acquired. Officials were unable to trace the source of 22 infections. It marked an uptick in infections after several days of declines.