Technical issues plague Hong Kong’s new health code as some Covid-free users struggle to access venues requiring vaccine pass
- Senior government information officer says several users have reported delays receiving correct health code, with some barred from venues requiring vaccine pass
- Labour authorities warn employers against placing staff on annual leave during four-day surveillance period as part of ‘3+4’ scheme
Problems continued to plague Hong Kong’s new health-code system on Friday, three days after it was introduced, with officials noting some users had encountered status update delays that determined if they could access premises under the Covid-19 vaccine pass.
The Labour Department, meanwhile, warned businesses it was illegal to place employees on paid annual leave to avoid staff working whilst undergoing medical surveillance.
The new health-code system launched on Tuesday and forms part of the government’s “3+4” scheme that took effect on Friday, cutting the hotel quarantine period from seven days to three, with travellers allowed to spend the remaining four days at home or in other accommodation with limited freedom of movement.
Incorporated into the “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app, the system issues a red code to identify coronavirus patients and an amber one for those uninfected undergoing four days of medical surveillance.
The code changes to blue once travellers have successfully completed the medical surveillance period, granting them freedom of movement in the city.