'Vaccine Pass May Create Arguments At Restaurants'

A restaurant manager has expressed concern that the upcoming "vaccine pass" requirement will spark conflict between staff and patrons.

Type D restaurants – which are allowed to seat up to four people at a table – are subject to the new arrangement from Thursday as a pilot scheme, before the requirement comes into full force at other places on February 24.

All staff members must be fully vaccinated, and customers aged 12 or above are required to have received at least one dose to dine at these eateries.

A woman surnamed Lam told RTHK that the vaccine pass will make it hard for her to enjoy dine-in meals with family and friends.

"Some of my family members haven't got vaccinated yet, so they couldn't go and dine in at restaurants, and it's very inconvenient to them, because they have to buy their own food, either takeaways or food from markets to cook for themselves," she said.

So Man-shing, the deputy general manager of a Type D restaurant in Mong Kok, said while he doesn’t think the vaccine pass arrangement will hurt businesses too much, some customers are bound to be upset with staff having to check both their LeaveHomeSafe app and their vaccination record.

"It is quite a complicated process...we [also] have to use the restaurant's mobile phone to scan patrons' vaccination records, that's where we find it difficult," he said.

"They will get furious, especially when either one of our mobile phones is slow."