Proposed Covid-19 health code for Hong Kong will not be used for any political agenda, ‘only pandemic purposes’: John Lee
- Chief executive says colour-code system will be ‘very specific’ and only target ‘small numbers’
- He also sounds warning on protecting high-risk groups and not repeating mistakes of fifth wave
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, in a media briefing before his weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, reassured residents the colour-code system was limited to “identifying Covid-19 patients and individuals currently in hotel quarantine”.
He called on the public not to believe anyone who tried to smear the proposed health code. “Hong Kong is a very law-abiding place, so of course the government will also follow legislation.
“We will not apply any coronavirus measures to areas unrelated to the pandemic. This is unrealistic. If anyone is trying to stir matters, I can tell them this is not true, and residents must not believe such suggestions,” Lee warned.
Lee was responding to a reporter who cited concerns from observers and online users over an incident last month. Protesters against what could be one of the country’s biggest financial scandals in the Chinese province of Henan had found that the health codes on their phones required for public transport or entry to buildings had been disabled, flagging them as a Covid-19 risk.
Over the weekend, Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau suggested introducing a real-name registration system for the government’s “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app, under the vaccine pass scheme required for entry into premises such as restaurants and entertainment venues.
