Hong Kong tells civil servants to get vaccinated or pay for COVID-19 tests

HONG KONG: Unvaccinated Hong Kong government employees, as well as education and health workers will soon have to pay for regular COVID-19 tests, city leader Carrie Lam said on Monday, announcing measures to persuade more people to get vaccinated.

Hong Kong has registered 56 days without any local coronavirus cases and life has largely returned to normal in the global financial hub, except heavy travel restrictions remain in place, with hotel quarantine required for all arrivals. Authorities were unsatisfied with a slow initial take-up of vaccines, although the numbers have improved in recent months after various businesses announced a range of perks for those who take vaccines, including a lottery prize of an apartment worth about $1 million.