The Government announced on May 4 the arrangements for inbound travellers from places outside Hong Kong to obtain a Provisional Vaccine Pass and for persons who have recovered from COVID-19 infection in places outside Hong Kong (non-locally recovered persons) to declare their non-local recovery record for obtaining a recovery record QR code. For locally recovered persons, please refer to the press release issued on April 19 (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202204/19/
P2022041900477.htm) for the arrangements to download the recovery record QR code. The Government also reminded persons who received COVID-19 vaccine outside Hong Kong that they may continue to receive the two locally available vaccines as third dose or booster dose in Hong Kong.
 
Arrangements to obtain Provisional Vaccine Pass
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     All inbound travellers who have stayed in overseas places in the past 14 days (including non-Hong Kong residents (non-HKRs)) are required to be fully vaccinated (Note) and hold a recognised vaccination record in order to board a flight for Hong Kong. "Fully vaccinated" means the required dose(s), generally referring to two doses of vaccine, has been administered in accordance with the relevant guidelines of the "List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes" (the List) at least 14 days prior to arrival at Hong Kong.
 
     Currently, an inbound traveller (including Hong Kong resident (HKR) and non-HKR) who is subject to compulsory quarantine, can declare his/her non-local vaccination details when he/she is making the "Health & Quarantine Information Declaration" at the Department of Health's online platform. Upon his/her arrival in Hong Kong, officers at control points will check his/her proof of non-local vaccination record and issue a compulsory quarantine order together with a vaccination record QR code for local use at the same time upon confirmation. As for other inbound travellers, or those who have already been present in Hong Kong (including HKRs and non-HKRs), they can declare their non-local vaccination records through the assistance from staff at the 18 designated post offices (see Annex). Upon completion of declaration, a vaccination record QR code for local use will be issued immediately.
 
     As inbound travellers from places outside Hong Kong may not be able to receive the third dose of vaccine in relevant places for fulfilling the requirements under stage three of the Vaccine Pass, to tie in with the arrangement of allowing non-HKRs to arrive in Hong Kong from overseas starting from May 1 and to provide convenience for persons staying temporarily in Hong Kong to enter specified premises under the Vaccine Pass, inbound travellers arriving on May 1 and after from places outside Hong Kong (including HKRs and non-HKRs) will be issued with a Provisional Vaccine Pass in the following channels:

(1) Starting from May 5, inbound travellers who are subject to compulsory quarantine will be issued with a vaccination record QR code and a Provisional Vaccine Pass for local use apart from a compulsory quarantine order at boundary control points (including land and airport boundary control points) upon entering Hong Kong. 

(2) Inbound travellers who arrived in Hong Kong before May 5 and are undergoing compulsory quarantine may visit the 18 designated post offices after completing quarantine and fill in the declaration form, present their identity document in original and their quarantine order to obtain the Provisional Vaccine Pass. 

(3) Inbound travellers who arrived in Hong Kong from the Mainland or Macao on or after May 1 and are not required to undergo compulsory quarantine (including persons who enter Hong Kong through the Return2hk Scheme or Come2hk Scheme) may declare their arrival record at the 18 designated post offices for obtaining a Provisional Vaccine Pass starting from May 5. These persons are required to complete a declaration form, and present their identity document in original and other relevant proof, e.g. Return2hk or Come2hk arrival health declaration QR code showing their arrival date or medical surveillance notice issued to persons exempted from quarantine. 

     Persons aged under 18 or persons with a disability can authorise a person to register on their behalf. For details, please refer to "FAQ – Non-local COVID-19 Vaccination Record/Recovery Record/'Provisional Vaccine Pass' QR codes" (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/nonlocalvaccFAQs_ENG.pdf).
 
     The Provisional Vaccine Pass is valid within 180 days (i.e. six months) from the date of arrival. During the period, inbound travellers may carry with them or present the Provisional Vaccine Pass as a substitute for the vaccination record to enter specified premises under the Vaccine Pass. The Government has also updated the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application to version 3.2.3 for members of the public to save the Provisional Vaccine Pass to "LeaveHomeSafe" so as to facilitate scanning on entering Vaccine Pass premises subject to active checking.

     Relevant persons are required to receive the required dosage of vaccine locally at locations providing COVID-19 vaccination during the validity period of the Provisional Vaccine Pass in order to continue to comply with the Vaccine Pass requirements after the Provisional Vaccine Pass expires. Relevant persons will be issued with an updated vaccination record QR code after getting vaccinated. If inbound travellers also declared their non-local vaccination record at boundary control points upon entering Hong Kong or at the 18 designated post offices afterwards, they will be issued with a vaccination record QR code.
 
Declaration arrangements for non-local recovery record
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     To facilitate the use of the Vaccine Pass by non-locally recovered persons, they may declare their non-local recovery record upon entry into Hong Kong starting from May 5 in order to obtain a non-local vaccination record QR code incorporating their recovery status.

     For those who are already in Hong Kong, they may declare their non-local recovery record at the 18 designated post offices starting from May 5. These persons are required to complete a declaration form, and present their identity document in original and the infection or recovery record issued or recognised by the relevant health authorities of the place concerned. They will be issued with a recovery record QR code upon successful declaration at the designated post offices. Persons aged under 18 or persons with a disability can authorise a person to register on their behalf. For details, please refer to "FAQ – Non-local COVID-19 Vaccination Record/Recovery Record/'Provisional Vaccine Pass' QR codes" (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/nonlocalvaccFAQs_ENG.pdf).
 
     The recovery record QR code is valid within 180 days (i.e. six months) from the date of recovery. During the period, non-locally recovered persons may carry with them or present the recovery record QR code as a substitute for the vaccination record to enter specified premises under the Vaccine Pass. The recovery record QR code may be saved in the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application to facilitate scanning when entering Vaccine Pass premises subject to active checking.

     If the relevant persons also declared their non-local vaccination record upon or after entering Hong Kong, they will be issued a vaccination record QR code with their recovery status incorporated. If the relevant persons hold local vaccination record, they can download the vaccination record QR code again with their recovery status incorporated through the "iAM Smart" or "eHealth" mobile applications.

     Recovered persons who have received two or three doses of vaccine are not required to receive additional doses of vaccine to comply with the Vaccine Pass requirement and can continue to use the vaccination record QR code with their recovery status incorporated to enter Vaccine Pass premises. As for recovered persons who have not been vaccinated or who have only received one dose of vaccine, they are required to receive as soon as possible in accordance with the requirements under the different stages of the Vaccine Pass the required dosage of vaccine during the validity period of the Provisional Vaccine Pass/recovery record QR code locally at locations providing COVID-19 vaccination to continue to comply with the Vaccine Pass requirement. Relevant persons will be issued with the updated vaccination record QR code with their recovery status incorporated after getting vaccinated.

     As the Government previously announced, as a transitional measure, non-locally recovered persons may still present the infection or recovery record issued or recognised by the relevant health authorities of the place concerned on or before June 30 for the Vaccine Pass purposes. Subsequently, they are required to use the recovery record QR code, or the vaccination record QR code with their recovery status incorporated.
 
     Since the presence of viral genome fragments inside the body of some recovered persons may still be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid tests, for persons arriving in Hong Kong who are tested positive by PCR nucleic acid tests with a low viral load during "test and hold" at the Hong Kong International Airport and compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels, and the relevant persons are recovered persons infected within three months, the Department of Health will, having regard to data of the PCR nucleic acid test result or recovery record, consider whether to allow the individual to continue to undergo compulsory quarantine in the designated quarantine hotel instead of transferring the person to designated isolation facilities to undergo isolation.
 
Persons who received non-local vaccine
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     For persons who received vaccine that are not provided locally in places outside Hong Kong, if the vaccine they received is included in the List, provided that relevant persons had received the required dose(s) stated on the List, they will be deemed as fulfilling the second stage Vaccine Pass requirements.

     When the Vaccine Pass arrangement enters the third stage on May 31, apart from the required dose(s) stated on the List, relevant persons are also required to receive an additional dose. According to the latest recommendation of the Joint Scientific Committee on April 6, persons who have been fully vaccinated with vaccine stated on the List may choose to receive any one of the available vaccines in Hong Kong for their additional dose, i.e. Sinovac or Comirnaty vaccine.

     The latest Vaccine Pass Direction has already reflected the relevant arrangement for the aforementioned persons who received non-local vaccine.

     "Vaccination is highly effective in preventing severe cases or deaths from COVID-19. The implementation of the Provisional Vaccine Pass arrangement aims to provide a transitional period for inbound travellers to meet the Vaccine Pass requirements. We strongly appeal to members of the public who have not been vaccinated, especially senior citizens, chronic patients and other immunocompromised persons who face a much higher fatality risk after COVID-19 infection, to get vaccinated with no delay for the sake of their health. Members of the public who are currently eligible for a third or fourth dose should also get the dose as soon as possible with a view to building an immune barrier for Hong Kong," a Government spokesman said.

Note: For the purpose of inbound boarding and quarantine requirements, fully vaccinated generally involves receiving two doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac vaccine) or the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty vaccine) 14 days before coming to Hong Kong. Persons previously infected with COVID-19 who have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be considered fully vaccinated. As for persons aged between 12 and 17 on the scheduled day of arrival at Hong Kong, they may be deemed to have completed the COVID-19 vaccination course on receiving one dose of the Comirnaty vaccine. For individuals who received COVID-19 vaccines in places outside Hong Kong and have received the required dose(s) as stipulated in the List and the relevant guidelines, they will also be regarded to have completed the vaccination course of the relevant COVID-19 vaccine.

     For the purpose of boarding requirements, relevant persons who are fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record, as well as children under 12-year-old accompanied by them, can board for Hong Kong. In addition, persons who (i) are unfit for vaccination due to health reasons with relevant proof from a medical practitioner; or (ii) have received one dose of recognised COVID-19 vaccine and hold a recognised vaccination record, if they were certified by a medical practitioner that they were unfit to receive the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine because of health reasons after receiving the first dose of vaccine, while they are not considered to be fully vaccinated, they are exceptionally allowed to board flights for Hong Kong. The relevant medical certificate must indicate the relevant health reasons in English or Chinese. Non-local medical certificates are not applicable to local Vaccine Pass arrangement. Persons holding the relevant medical certificates are required to use the COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificate issued by local doctor and printed with encrypted QR code after their Provisional Vaccine Pass expires. For details, please refer to the relevant press release (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202201/27/P2022012700615.htm).

Ends/Thursday, May 5, 2022
Issued at HKT 0:34

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