On a Saturday radio program, Lo said the new arrangement of three-day hotel quarantine plus four-day home isolation has been running smoothly. With the increasing supply of quarantine hotel rooms, he expected the number of travelers returning to Hong Kong will jump by 60 to 80 percent.

Lo stressed adjusting the quarantine measure does not mean the government is “lying flat” but to fight Covid more accurately. He added asking returnees to undergo seven-day hotel quarantine failed to reach the authorities’ expected outcome and came at a prohibitive cost.

As for further switching to seven-day home isolation without staying in a quarantine hotel at all, Lo said authorities must obtain supporting data and factor in the latest pandemic development.

He went on to say that relaxing the measures step by step is the responsible way for the government to do it.

Regarding employers who want foreign domestic helpers to complete the seven-day stay in quarantine hotels, Lo explained it would be challenging to plan for the helpers to continue their stay in the hotel because they are restricted by the law on traveling in the communities.

He appealed to citizens and restaurants to update their LeaveHomeSafe app to the latest version over the new color code of the Vaccine Pass.