Circular on COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

Our Ref: B1/15C 24 March 2021 The Chief Executive All Authorized Institutions Dear Sir / Madam, COVID-19 Vaccination Programme To safeguard public health and to allow the gradual resumption of normal activities in the society, the Government has launched a territory-wide COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for Hong Kong residents. Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated early so that Hong Kong can emerge from the effects of the pandemic as soon as possible. Banks perform a critical financial intermediation role in the economy and provide services that are essential to the wider public interest. It is therefore important for banks to ensure that they can operate and provide banking services to their customers without interruption. For this reason, it is in the interest of authorized institutions to support the Government’s vaccination drive and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and protect the health and safety of their staff and customers. This can be achieved by adopting measures to facilitate staff who wish to get vaccinated to do so, especially those who interact frequently with customers or perform critical functions. Examples of supportive measures which authorized institutions may consider include:-  disseminating information about the Vaccination Programme to staff and referring them to the Government’s dedicated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk) for queries they may have in relation to the COVID-19 vaccines;  allowing staff to get vaccinated during working hours or implementing flexible working hours to accommodate vaccination appointments; and  granting staff time off work, where necessary, to rest after vaccination.

• 2 - Authorized institutions should monitor updates to the Programme and related COVID￾19 guidance issued by the Government, and provide relevant information to their staff with a view to encouraging vaccine uptake. Yours faithfully, Arthur Yuen Deputy Chief Executive c.c. The Chairperson, The Hong Kong Association of Banks The Chairperson, The Deposit-taking Companies Association