Anti-epidemic decision explained

June 22, 2021

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:

I have made it very clear and I have admitted that in determining social distancing measures, there is no exact science. It is a judgment based on several factors.

Factor number one is, of course, the epidemic situation. Factor number two will be the nature of the activity that we need to regulate. Third will be the society's needs for that sort of activity. 

So businesses have a very strong aspiration to resume business and normal people want to have more social activities like going swimming, organising activities, face-to-face learning at schools and so on.

And then there is a risk factor that we have to assess: under that sort of gathering, is the risk manageable? That brings me to the final factor and that is, whoever is organising that type of activity, whether they have the capability to fulfil the requirements imposed on that sort of activity under the social distancing measures. 

Each and every type of the venues has to comply with very clear, mandatory requirements imposed by the Secretary for Food & Health. So it is taking into account all those factors that we feel that the coming stage of relaxation should be based on venues.

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government has taken into account a number of factors before it decided to ease social distancing measures, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today.

Responding to media questions ahead of the Executive Council meeting this morning, Mrs Lam explained that there is no exact science in determining social distancing measures and it is a judgment based on several factors.

She said: "Factor number one is, of course, the epidemic situation. Factor number two will be the nature of the activity that we need to regulate. Third will be the society's needs for that sort of activity.

"So businesses have a very strong aspiration to resume business and normal people want to have more social activities like going swimming, organising activities, face-to-face learning at schools and so on.

"And then there is a risk factor that we have to assess: under that sort of gathering, is the risk manageable? That brings me to the final factor and that is, whoever is organising that type of activity, whether they have the capability to fulfil the requirements imposed on that sort of activity under the social distancing measures.

"Each and every type of the venues has to comply with very clear, mandatory requirements imposed by the Secretary for Food & Health. So it is taking into account all those factors that we feel that the coming stage of relaxation should be based on venues."