Lo said isolating all Covid patients at once could impact the livelihood and economy returning to normalcy.

He added having fought Covid for three years, citizens may need some time to get used to the government's latest policy for not issuing quarantine order to confirmed patients, a move he said made after thorough consideration.

Citizens who are really sick can go see a doctor, but they can't skip work just because they test positive for Covid, the health chief told a radio program Friday morning.

He said dropping the issuance of quarantine order after the Lunar New Year holidays was not a random decision authorities made and pointed out that the post-festive period would be the appropriate timing for the government to adjust the measures.

The health chief also defended the cancellation of remote medical consultation services, saying it was only an emergency arrangement.

“Doctors cannot examine patients' bodies through remote medical consultation, and can only ask questions. In terms of medical quality, face-to-face consultation is better and we can resume this service without the quarantine order in place,” Lo said.

He added he will discuss with the Education Bureau on the work arrangements for teachers who test positive for Covid, as there isn't any guideline that says teachers need not go to work after catching the coronavirus.