Residents in Hong Kong and visitors to the city will no longer need to scan the LeaveHomeSafe app before entering public premises, and will not get an amber health code when they arrive in the city. These changes will come into effect starting December 14, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the vaccine pass will remain.
“Starting from tomorrow, there is no longer a need to scan the LeaveHomeSafe app. But we will keep the vaccine pass requirement for certain premises. For example, [for] eating establishments will still keep the vaccine pass requirement,” said Lee.
The CE added, “We are removing the amber [health] code arrangement. That means for those confirmed cases, their code will be red and for all others not infected, their code is blue. That includes arrivals at Hong Kong. And for those with a blue code, they can engage in activities as normal.”
“We have made these two decisions because we have considered the data risks and one of the factors considered is [that] the risk brought in by imported cases is actually lower than the risk of infection in the community,” said Lee, when explaining the reasons behind these changes.
However, Lee did not mention whether the government will end the three-day medical surveillance period for international travellers. Under these regulations, travellers must undergo two post-arrival PCR tests — one at the airport and one on Day 2 after they land in the city — and take rapid antigen tests for five days after they enter the city.
Header image credits: Bkemaoe HOMA via Wiki Commons
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