Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday the proposed health code system will not be used for any purposes other than identifying Covid patients and those who are likely to have been infected.

Under the proposal, those confirmed to have been infected will be issued a red code, while inbound travellers who have completed their hotel quarantine but are still under monitoring will be given a yellow code.

“Any measures meant for tackling the epidemic will not be used for other purposes. It’s not going to happen. If anyone wants to stir trouble with this, let me say here categorically that it’s not a fact. It’s not true. Don’t believe in such things,” Lee told a press briefing before the weekly Executive Council meeting.

The chief executive also said the government will explain the scope of the policy to the public and quickly address any possible misinformation.

Meanwhile, Lee said the government will in due course make a new round of appointments for the expert panel advising the government on its Covid strategy.

He did not give a timetable, but said officials will continue to listen to experts’ views and look at scientific data before making any decisions relating to anti-epidemic work.