Authorities have announced that from next Monday, government workers who need to take their toddlers to get inoculated against Covid will be entitled to half a day of childcare vaccination leave.

In a statement, a government spokesperson said the measure applies to all government employees, including civil servants, non-civil service contract staff and post-retirement service contract staff, whose children are aged between six months and three years old.

"In view of the rapid spread of the mutant strains, parents should arrange for Covid-19 vaccination of their young children as early as possible. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, the Government has a duty to take the lead and introduce a family-friendly measure to encourage and facilitate government employees who are parents or guardians of young children to act fast and arrange for their children to get vaccinated for early protection,” the spokesman said.

“We also appeal to employers of other enterprises to provide convenience for their employees as far as possible and encourage parents to arrange for Covid-19 vaccination of their young children as a concerted effort to boost the vaccination rate of young children and further strengthen the overall protective barrier in the community."

Officials added that for government staff who had earlier taken their own vacation leave to bring their children to get vaccinated, they may also be retrospectively granted a half-day authorised absence.