Mask mandate, two-color health code here to stay, says John Lee

Hong Kong’s mask mandate and the two-color vaccine pass health code system are here to stay, chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday, adding that some activities and events will be allowed to take place as far as risks could be appropriately managed.  

Speaking ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said the Covid epidemic is “still lingering around us,” with the daily caseload still hovering between 4,000 to 6,000 each day, while the figure of Covid death once reached 18 in a single day.  

When asked about when Hong Kong will roll out the “0+0” quarantine scheme for inbound travelers, the Hong Kong leader sidestepped the question by saying that authorities have clear policies in place to make sure everything proceeds as far as risks could be properly managed, with the government constantly reviewing its anti-epidemic measures.  

He also said Hong Kong must resume tourism in an orderly and gradual manner, in which a full resumption of the inbound travel market would take time.  

Meanwhile, Lee was also asked when individuals coming to the territory will be able to eat out and enter various venues in their first few days here.  

This came as the government announced on Monday that inbound tour groups will soon be allowed to visit attractions and eat at designated restaurants as soon as they arrive in the SAR, despite the three-day amber health code for arrivals which usually bans such activities.  

“As we go through more and more activities, we can, of course, review the experience and then look at the data so that we can have more measures designed to allow activities to proceed with the maximum of freedom,” he said.