A mainland respiratory diseases expert on Saturday praised Hong Kong, after the SAR government scrapped some of its Covid control measures before the mainland, saying it was "encouraging" for the mainland.

Addressing a health exhibition, Zhong Nanshan said the SAR “dares to move forward”, and gave the example of the scrapping of the mask mandate on March 1. Not many problems had been observed since then, so he said it was acting like a “trial” for the mainland.

Mainland health authorities say people should still wear masks in places such as on public transport, in lifts and at reception counters, though this is not a legal requirement.

Meanwhile, Zhong revealed that several new Covid vaccines and pills will be available on the market from next month. He said this batch of vaccines will be effective against Omicron sub-variants.