Provisional vaccine passes for unjabbed travelers ironic, says Michael Tien

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun on Wednesday described a government policy issuing provisional vaccine passes to unjabbed mainlanders as ironic, a move he said could impact the public healthcare system.

The public stir-up came after a woman from mainland China recently wrote on social media saying she could “travel everywhere” in Hong Kong through authorities’ “Come2hk” scheme, despite being unvaccinated against Covid-19.  

Hong Kong’s current vaccine pass requires all eligible residents to be inoculated with three coronavirus jabs to enter various premises such as restaurants, swimming pools, sports grounds, and places of entertainment.  

Meanwhile, those taking part in the “Return2HK” and “Come2HK” are not required to be vaccinated, with the schemes providing limited spaces for city residents as well as mainland travelers and expatriates, respectively, to come to Hong Kong. They can apply for a temporary vaccine pass to access all venues covered under the government scheme after their arrival.  

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu yesterday defended the arrangement, citing the mainland’s low infection rate.  

Speaking on a radio program this morning, Tien said the issuance of the vaccine pass should not depend on where the travelers are coming from, it should just act as a simple instrument to lower their risk of infection and avoid placing additional strain on the city’s healthcare system.

The lawmaker said Hongkongers who returned to the city using the “Return2HK” should also be treated the same, in order to plug loopholes in Covid-19 controls.