Hong Kong has an oversupply of COVID-19 vaccines, but uptake has been slow. At long last, the business community has got its ducks in a row to help the government boost its injection program by offering various material incentives.

Last Friday, Sino Group took the lead by sponsoring a lucky draw for a one-bedroom flat at its Grand Central project in Kwun Tong. Adult permanent residents who have received both their coronavirus doses will be eligible for the $10.8 million grand prize. Others have followed suit to give away, among others, cash, staycations, stock shares, flight tickets, buffet coupons, price discounts, gift packages and 500 all-year MTR passes.

Executive Councillor Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, who represents the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in the legislature, is given the task to coordinate the private sector’s efforts. He said even a match maker had approached him to donate free arranged dates.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will assist industries in developing ways to ensure the authenticity of vaccination records to facilitate the promotion drive. From this week residents can save their jab records and QR codes in the “LeaveHomeSafe 2.0” mobile app for verification. “iAM Smart” users can also save their codes in Apple Wallet.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor hosted a press conference on Monday to capitalize on the positive developments to harp on the theme, “It’s more than a jab: Early vaccination for all.” The message was amplified by front-page advertisements the next morning.

However, the publicity efforts were diluted by Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee’s statement at the media briefing. She said, “The risks of local infection outbreaks are high at eateries, schools, dormitories, construction sites, libraries, museums, cinemas, performance venues, sports amenities, etc. When the next wave of outbreak hits, we will consider denying those not vaccinated access into such premises.”

Her logic is that such a policy could prevent the chaotic situations in which restaurants and schools had to shut down and then reopened rather haphazardly from recurring. Most experts agree that it is a question of when rather than whether a fifth wave of outbreak will hit the territory. When the time comes venues and campuses could remain open, while those without vaccine protection would be rejected.

Prof Chan said the authorities would take into account the injection tally of the day before making a final decision. She has yet to define what would constitute a satisfactory number. The secretary apparently has not done her reality check before she presented her case. Take the case of the schools.

The expert advisory panel on Covid vaccinations has expanded eligibility to people as young as 12. That means even an enthusiastic pickup rate of 70% among the secondary students would mean some 100,000 of them have opted out. According to Chan’s plan, those left behind would not be allowed to attend in-person classes. They will have to stay at home for online lessons. It remains unanswered how a teacher could take care of both modes of instruction at the same time.

If she is serious about what she said, teachers who have not taken the shots could be banned from physical classes too. Are they supposed to go on Zoom at home to teach students who are present in the classrooms? It will be even more chaotic if the next outbreak emerges during school examinations.

Chan’s intention is to make government policies more predictable for stakeholders to adapt. She has achieved the exact opposite. Without proper consultations, such a scenario based on vaccination record has already made parents, teachers and school managements worried.

The professor is simply ahead of herself. Her time and energy would be much better spent on mapping out the logistics for a school-based injection campaign. Most schools’ final assessments end on the fourth week of this month and the start of summer vacation on July 14. This precious window of opportunity for action will be gone in just four weeks.

(Andy Ho is a public affairs consultant. A former political editor of the South China Morning Post, he served as Information Coordinator at the Chief Executive’s Office of the HKSAR Government from 2006 to 2012.)

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