Children with Covid should not go to school and workers with symptoms of the virus should stay at home even after isolation orders are scrapped from January 30, health officials said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Chief Executive John Lee said it is time to let infected people decide for themselves what action to take, rather than being told what to do by the government.

At a later press conference on the law change, however, officials said while asymptomatic Covid-carriers will be free to go to work if they wish, those with symptoms "should avoid going out and should stay at home".

Children with Covid – with or without symptoms – should not go to school and care home staff should not work until they test negative for the virus, the officials added.

The controller of the Centre for Health Protection, Edwin Tsui, said people testing positive will not have to report their infection to the government.

There will be no isolation order, he said, but infected people should wear face masks at all times – including at home – for the first five days, and should minimise contact with household members.

Isolation centres, in the meantime, will remain open for people who need them, and they can spend a week there at most, Tsui said. Testing negative, however, will not be a condition for leaving.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said employees who catch Covid can obtain a doctor's certificate to take sick leave.

Hospital Authority chief Tony Ko, meanwhile, said people with Covid can visit general out-patient clinics where they will be given antivirals.

Ko added that authorities are looking to gradually start using Covid hospital beds for other patients and to resume more services such as elective surgery.

Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said Hong Kong now has a higher immunity barrier, a more prepared healthcare system, and the whole community has better knowledge and ability to handle the coronavirus.

But he warned that Covid is still affecting high-risk groups and the healthcare system.

"We have to continue our fight against this disease, not in the sense of using social distancing measures or isolation orders, but with effective vaccines, with our personal hygiene measures, and also with effective treatment," Lo said.

Thursday saw another 4,015 confirmed coronavirus cases, of which 122 were imported. Another 45 people with Covid have died.