A medical expert advising the government on the pandemic said on Monday that there is no need to tighten social distancing measures despite a surge of infections in recent months.

Lau Yu-lung, who is also Chair Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Hong Kong, told an RTHK programme that in particular, face-to-face classes in schools should not be suspended.

“It is very important. We talk about the protection of lives and people’s health. What is health? For students, it is school life,” said Lau.

“Without a school life how can they be healthy? Everyone would be chubby. How can they be healthy mentally when they don’t even have social skills? Right?” he asked.

Lau said, instead, the government should increase incentives for children to get jabbed.

When most people in Hong Kong have had three jabs, Lau said, the city will be ready to move its focus from controlling infection to the resumption of normal life.

He also said there is no need to tighten border controls either, describing the percentage of imported cases as very low.