Hong Kong’s airport authority has announced that all airport staff belonging to the targeted groups are required to receive the third dose of vaccination, in view of new recommendation from the government and health experts.

The airport authority urged staff under the targeted groups to receive the third jab as soon as possible. The third dose of vaccine should be administered at least six months after the second dose.

The targeted groups include those handling high-risk cargo or having unavoidable close range contact with passengers and crew. These include airline and ground agent staff, ramp coordinators, inflight catering coordinators, cargo loading staff, as well as cabin and lavatory cleaners.

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HKIA said all airport staff belonging to the targeted groups have already received their second dose and are required to receive the third dose no later than 30 April 2022.

Airport authority staff and contractors are allowed to take a leave on the day of receiving the third jab, the group noted. It also urged the airport community to provide leave and other support to their staff for receiving the third dose.

“All other airport staff, especially those who fall into the priority groups under the government’s recommendation, are highly encouraged to receive the third dose of vaccination to ensure protection for themselves, passengers, and other airport staff,” the airport authority noted.

Last month, Hong Kong was 21st in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, which monitors the best and worst places to be as Covid reopening gathers pace.

Hong Kong is reporting 2 new infections on average each day, 2% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on July 30. There have been 12,370 infections and 213 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began, according to Reuters data.