The move will take effect starting November 9, meaning the affected citizens will have two weeks either to again collect the exemptions from other doctors or to receive the Covid jabs.

After November 9, people with exemptions issued by the seven arrested doctors will no longer be accepted as having fulfilled the vaccine pass requirement, according to a statement released Wednesday.

The statement continued that Lo had already factored in relevant elements before making the decision, including the large number of exemptions issued. Lo also has “reasonable grounds” to suspect that the seven doctors didn't clinically assess patients' health conditions beforehand.

The statement added that the move favors the public's interest.

According to the amended law, the seven doctors can submit a written explanation to Lo on or before November 1 as to why the voiding shouldn't apply to the exemptions they issued.

The statement also said the exemptions issued by the seven doctors make up more than half of all exemptions throughout the city. Affected citizens will be arranged to undergo a clinical assessment by other registered doctors as instructed by the Department of Health to see if they are genuinely unfit for Covid jabs.

A spokesperson said the vaccine pass measure is an important tool to protect public healthcare and aims to protect the unvaccinated to minimize their infection risks when entering high-risk premises.

The spokesperson also warned using a false instrument is an offense, and the maximum penalty upon conviction carries 14 years' imprisonment.