Chief Executive Carrie Lam said plans for travel and entry bans on unvaccinated people are not a punishment, stressing they are only measures to protect those who are willing to cooperate with the government’s anti-pandemic efforts.

Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, Lam said a trade-off has to be made in order to sustain the now-resumed face-to-face classes at schools and protect teachers, students and workers who had received jabs, in case Hong Kong is hit by another coronavirus wave.

“It should not be seen as a punishment or a threat to force people to get the vaccines,” Lam said.

Exemptions would be granted if inoculation is not possible due to health reasons, but more intensive testing would be needed, she added.

Lam’s remarks came a day after her administration warned that people who are not vaccinated may be barred from “high risk venues” including restaurants, schools, entertainment and sports venues. Whereas the vaccinated close contacts of COVID-19 patients may enjoy shorter quarantine periods.

The punitive measures of the pro-vaccination campaign were criticized by a patients’ rights group as depriving unvaccinated people of rights, while medical experts warned that vaccination cannot completely eliminate the risk of infection.

Following the announcement of possible restrictions, vaccine bookings surged on Monday to 37,700 people, up 40% compared to the day before. 12,300 people reserved China’s Sinovac shots while 25,400 booked the German-made BioNTech.

The city has so far administered 2.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since the inoculation drive started in late February.

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