Vaxxers to enjoy free admission to book fair before noon

The Hong Kong Book Fair will open tomorrow and a total of 35,000 vaccinated citizens can enjoy free admission to the fair.

The fair will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

Ten thousand free tickets per day will be given out on July 14 and 15, to citizens who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines, while the remaining 15,000 free tickets will be distributed from July 16 to 20, with 3,000 free tickets each day.

The free tickets will be given out on a first-come-first-served basis, and vaccinated citizens must enter the hall before midday.

All workers must be fully vaccinated, or present negative virus test results conducted within 14 days. Those planning to purchase the admission ticket at the exhibition center must pay with their Octopus cards.

Benjamin Chau Kai-leung, deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said there are 763 exhibitors this year, and the floor area also increases by 5.2 percent.

Although there are traveling restrictions and quarantine measures, publishers and organizations from China and the UK still came to participate in the event.

It is the first book fair since the national security law has come into effect. Chau pointed out that the council never censor any books and is not authorized to do so, saying that the fair has been a free and open platform.

Chau believed that exhibitors will not cross any line and added that they should make sure all books comply with the law of the city. He also said exhibitors can seek advise form relevant department if they have any questions.