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Hong Kong has registered 56 days without any local coronavirus
cases and life has largely returned to normal in the global
financial hub, except heavy travel restrictions remain in place,
with hotel quarantine required for all arrivals.
Authorities were unsatisfied with a slow initial take-up of
vaccines, although the numbers have improved in recent months
after various businesses announced a range of perks for those
who take vaccines, including a lottery prize of an apartment
worth about $1 million.
"If it's purely a personal option not to get vaccinated and help
society achieve herd immunity, that's not something a
responsible government should allow or tolerate," Lam told
reporters.
Lam also said that vaccinated people arriving in Hong Kong from
countries deemed as medium-risk who present a negative COVID-19
test and positive antibody test could spend 7 days instead of 14
days in mandatory hotel quarantine. They would have to
"self-monitor" in the second week.
Those who are not vaccinated, however, have to spend an extra
seven days in the hotel, Lam said.
The government is also mulling extending the availability of
free vaccination centres by one month until the end of October,
she said.
About a third of the population has received the recommended two
doses and less than half have had at least one dose.
By comparison, rival finance hub Singapore is looking to allow
quarantine-free travel from September, when 80% of its
population is expected to be inoculated.
(Reporting by Clare Jim and Sara Cheng; Editing by Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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