Hong Kong’s leader stated on Tuesday that the city’s vaccination requirements will be tightened even more, just days after the city confirmed the first Omicron cluster, raising worriesof a wider community outbreak.
Unvaccinated persons would not be able to visit places such as museum, public libraries, or schools starting February 24, according to Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
According to Lam, the government would also force school principals and instructors to get vaccinated. She said that it hasn’t been decided if students will be obliged to be vaccinated.
And that, the government has no intentions to apply the new vaccination restrictions to private enterprises or retail malls.
Hong Kong authorities have struggled all year to urge increased immunization rates, particularly among children, among the elderly who are hesitant.
According to the Centre for Health Protection, people are fully vaccinated, while nearly 73% have received their first dose.
Hong Kong is one of the few places, alongside mainland China, to still use a zero-Covid approach, resulting in one of the world’s strictest border control and quarantine programs.
Lam said Tuesday that in light of local Omicron cases, resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and mainland China will “have to wait for another while.”
