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中 華 人 民 共 和 國 香 港 特 別 行 政 區 政 府 總 部 教 育 局
Education BureauGovernment Secretariat, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The People's Republic of China
本局檔號 Our Ref : EDB(SDCT)3/PRO/10/1/1 電話 Telephone :
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11 November 2021
To: Supervisors / Principals of all Secondary Schools, Primary Schools, Special Schools, Schools offering Non-Local Curriculum, Kindergartens and Kindergarten- cum-Child Care Centres and Private Schools offering Non-Formal Curriculum
Dear Supervisor / Principal,
Latest Arrangements on “Vaccination Leave” for the Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccination and Regular Testing Requirements
The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) has announced that eligible persons under certain groups, i.e. immunocompromised patients and persons with a higher risk of infection, can receive the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine free of charge starting from 11 November 2021. Government employees eligible for receiving the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be offered a day of “vaccination leave” for their third dose if they have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before 30 September 2021. In tandem, the Government will tighten the “vaccination in lieu of regular testing” (VRT) arrangement for all government employees. The testing frequency for those government employees who have not yet received the first dose of vaccine will be revised from once every two weeks to once a week. The Education Bureau (EDB) has decided to adopt the abovementioned arrangements and update the related requirements applicable to schools1.
1 Government schools should follow the relevant requirements announced by the CSB, while other schools should follow the requirements stipulated in this letter.
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Arrangement for “Vaccination Leave”
All staff of aided schools on active service paid under the Salaries Grant (including teaching / non-teaching staff) who are eligible for the third dose of COVID- 19 vaccine may be granted a day of “vaccination leave” after the day they receive the third dose of vaccine on or after 11 November 2021 (if the teacher or school staff concerned takes vaccination in the morning, s/he may opt to take the “vaccination leave”
for one day in the afternoon of the day of vaccination and in the following morning) if they have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before 30 September 2021.
For the details on the related principle and arrangements (e.g. school leave application, approval and record, etc.), please refer to the letter issued on 2 June 2021 (https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/sch-admin/admin/about-sch/diseases-
prevention/edb_20210602_eng.pdf).
Vaccination or Regular Testing Requirements
Starting from 1 September 2021, all teachers and school staff of the kindergartens, primary and secondary schools (including special schools and schools offering non-local curriculum) and private schools offering non-formal curriculum (commonly known as “tutorial schools”), including those teaching and non-teaching staff directly employed by schools, persons who provide on-campus services and persons who frequently visit school campuses2, are required to receive at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or undergo COVID-19 tests once every two weeks and receive negative results. The related testing requirement is now revised from once every two weeks to once a week.
Under the new arrangements, results of the COVID-19 tests conducted on or after 12 November 2021 will be valid for a week only. In other words, results of those tests conducted before 12 November 2021 are still valid for two weeks. And starting from 25 November 2021, all the abovementioned persons who have not received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine are required to conduct COVID-19 tests on a weekly basis (including individual teachers/school staff or persons who are unfit for vaccination because of medical conditions or other reasons and have to conduct regular tests). The specimens must be obtained from combined nasal and throat swabs, and not collected through self-testing kits. Results from deep throat saliva tests or rapid antigen tests are not accepted. Unless an individual can produce a medical certificate3
2 Teaching staff include principals, teachers and teaching assistants. Non-teaching staff include school executive officers, assistant clerical officers/ clerical assistants, janitors, cooks, school bus drivers, school light bus drivers and escorts (commonly known as nannies), laboratory technicians, brailling staff, teacher assistants, workshop attendants, artisans, social workers, educational psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, nurses, wardens, the related grades of boarding section staff such as social work officers, social work assistants, welfare workers. Persons providing on-campus services include, for example, group instructors.
Persons who frequently visit school campuses include, for example, volunteers.
3 Schools should remind teachers/school staff and person to have their medical certificates ready. Schools can refer
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certifying that his/her health conditions do not allow him/her to receive vaccination, all regular COVID-19 tests must be arranged outside working hours and at his/her own expense.
For enquiries, please contact your respective Senior School Development Officers or Senior Service Officers.
Yours sincerely,
(Dr Verena LAU) for Secretary for Education
to https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/cap599FG_forms.html for the template of a medical certificate
