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

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the ban on dining in restaurants after 6pm will not be lifted before February 3, but the Government will consider adopting an expanded vaccine bubble arrangement after the Lunar New Year.

While expounding the reasons that justify the current restriction on dine-in services, Mrs Lam told the media this morning ahead of the Executive Council meeting: “There is no plan to relax this particular measure - especially because you have heard me reporting on two local COVID-19 clusters which are of concern.

“One is the quarantine hotel cluster, which has led to the infections of the quarantined woman in the hotel plus nine close relatives. The other is the pet shop cluster, which we are very worried about.

“But going forward, of course, we will adjust our measures.”

The Government will listen to the affected trades’ views on an earlier resumption of business under the vaccine bubble arrangement, the Chief Executive stressed.

“In fact, the idea was volunteered by the trade.”

The catering and beauty parlour trades offered proposals like running their business on the basis of a vaccine bubble or asking their customers to get vaccinated before receiving services, Mrs Lam said.

“In the next two weeks or so, we will continue to engage them and see whether we can come up with more acceptable arrangements that would give us the assurance on fighting the epidemic, but at the same time allowing the business to operate,” she added.