Health code for cross-border travel underway

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Friday the government would launch a “health code” to enable cross border travel when the pandemic situation in Hong Kong stabilizes.

Speaking on conference yesterday, Lam said she and her cabinet have plans to roll out a health code for travelers across Guangdong and Macau. 

“Similarly that same health code will be used for travelling to overseas countries once we have the travel bubble in place with other countries,” she said

As some pro-Beijing had called for the implementation of such a code specifically  in restaurants and shops, but Lam said it would be “unfeasible” to do so. 

"It is not a sort of health code for access to local institutions or catering, or things like that, it’s just not practicable to have a health code in Hong Kong for that purpose," the city’s chief said. 

Those who sign up for the health code will have to take a Covid-19 test from an authorized medical facility or lab, and provide information to verify their identities, like travel documents and phone numbers. 

They can then apply for a digital certificate from the Guangdong or Macau authorities, confirming the negative test results so that they can be exempted from quarantine restrictions when they travel there. 

Alfred Sit Wing-hang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, said a similar “health code” system has been put into use in Macau and Guangdong. 

He said authorities in these two places have been finding ways to relax cross-border travel to Hong Kong since May. 

Sit dismissed privacy concerns raised at the scheme, saying the system does not have any tracking functions. Advice from the privacy commissioner will be sought in this matter, he added.