In this picture taken on May 13, 2022, people cross a street in Hong Kong. With the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak coming under subsiding, life in the city is becoming normal, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Monday. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said that the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been promoting social normalcy with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic coming under control.
While the vaccination rates of the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong are satisfactory, the third dose rate has just exceeded 50 percent and needs to be boosted further, she said in an article on Monday titled ‘Moving Steadily Forward Along Path to Normalcy Amid Stabilized COVID-19 Epidemic’.
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While progressing along the path to normalcy, we should feel gratified, and most grateful, for the timely assistance from the central government and full co-operation by society at large.
Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, HKSAR
The HKSAR government will implement the third stage of the vaccine pass scheme from May 31 onwards as planned, in which people will be required to receive three doses of COVID-19 vaccines before they can enter a series of premises subject to regulation, she said.
The subsiding local pandemic situation and progressive relaxation of social distancing measures, together with the 2022 Employment Support Scheme and the new round of electronic consumption vouchers of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $1,300) each to eligible residents, is expected to give a boost to the business of various sectors by and large, Lam said.
The CE said she believes that enterprises could regain vitality, retain staff or even hire more, improve the business sentiment and promote economic rebound.
“While progressing along the path to normalcy, we should feel gratified, and most grateful, for the timely assistance from the central government and full co-operation by society at large,” Lam wrote.
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On Monday, Hong Kong registered 125 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 150 additional cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests, official data showed.