Too confusing, too much trouble: Hong Kong restaurants despair over checking vaccine status of recovered Covid-19 patients
- Catering industry says having uniform proof of vaccine exemption will help reduce misunderstandings
- Recovered patients say it is hard to obtain proof that they were ill and exempted from vaccination
Hong Kong restaurants are tired of the confusion over checking the vaccination status of customers trying to enter their premises, especially those who have recovered from Covid-19.
With numerous types of electronic and paper documents available to show individuals’ vaccination status or proof of recovery, misunderstandings between restaurant workers and customers have become a regular occurrence.
“It is very messy now. Frontline workers are confused over the different kinds of information and documents they can accept, and sometimes the checking process can get complicated or descend into arguments,” said Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades.
The industry has called on the government to simplify the vaccine pass process, suggesting a uniform proof of exemption for those who have recovered from Covid-19 but have not yet been inoculated.
Some recovered patients have complained about being denied entry at restaurants and other premises requiring a vaccine pass, while others said even obtaining proof that they had Covid-19 was a chaotic process.
Currently, those entering 23 types of premises including restaurants and supermarkets must have had at least one dose of a vaccine. By April 30, they need to have two doses, and by May 31, three.
Those who have recovered from Covid-19 must produce documents to show they were infected and how long they were exempted from the vaccine shots. Those who are unvaccinated can get their first jab six months after recovery, while people who received one jab before falling ill can get their second dose six months after recovering.
