The Chief Executive emphasized today the legitimacy of empowering the health minister to invalidate the “problematic” vaccine exemption certificates. In a press conference on Tuesday, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu slammed the criticism which accused the government of “winning by force” in amending the Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation. The amendment authorizes the Secretary for Health - who lost a case in the High Court challenging his original voiding of the vaccine exemption certificates - to nullify the waivers assumed to be “fake.”“It shows the government is acting in accordance with laws,” Lee said. After losing the case, he claimed that the government recognized the flaw in the legislation, which contributed to the authority's decision to amend the law and fix the loopholes to defend the rule of law and show that the law enforcement actions had a legal basis. “No matter whether the government would appeal the judgment or not,” Lee said, “the intention was only to ensure public health.”Over 20,000 vaccine exemption certificates from a total of seven doctors who have been arrested for issuing their exemption documents without assessing the patients will expire on November 9.

Source: The Standard November 01, 2022 17:16 UTC