Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told reporters that the number of local coronavirus infections had dropped to zero on Tuesday (15/9) after the last 10 weeks. The authorities will relax the policy procedures for handling the outbreak, by allowing bars, karaoke clubs, swimming pools and Ocean Park to reopen on Friday (18/9) after two months of being closed, Wednesday (16/9/2020.)
Restaurants can also operate until midnight from Friday, but the limit of four restaurants per table will not change. All venues that were closed, including party halls and baths, will be allowed to reopen on Friday.
The Ocean Park playground has started accepting reservations from 7pm yesterday on its website, for visitors who book excursions for groups of less than four people. Hong Kong Disneyland said it would announce a reopening date later.
Reporting from The Standard, the relaxation of bar openings must follow the requirements, where visitors are not allowed more than two people at one pub/bar table, and four people in the restaurant. Amusement parks can also only show outdoor live shows.
People in the party room must wear masks at all times except when eating. Also, no more than four people can stay at one table. As for swimming pools, there can be no more than four people in one class, but people can take off their masks while swimming or warm up before entering the water.
So far the government has only allowed social gatherings of four people and the mandatory wearing of masks remains in place, although people exercising are exempted from wearing masks in gyms as long as they are more than 1.5 meters from each other. But staff and coaches at gyms are still required to wear masks, with the rule of no more than four people in a class remaining unchanged.
“Even though we are lifting the measures, people should not lower their guard, as experts have warned of a potential fourth wave in winter,” said Food and Health Minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee.
A woman surnamed Wong said she had not been to a karaoke room in six months and had made plans with friends to do so.
“I will take personal protective measures and have fun. I will also bring alcohol-based hand sanitizer, wear a mask and will not be too close to friends when singing,” explained Wong, as reported by The Standard.
“Hong Kongers have been hungry for [entertainment] for a long time, so I just hope people can be disciplined about disinfecting themselves. Although I am concerned that groups gathering in pubs may pose a high risk of transmitting the virus as they might get drunk and play in a wild way,” explained a man surnamed Cheng.
Housewife Chiu said she was concerned about the reopening of bars and that the government was taking action too quickly as the infection rate had just fallen.
“I feel more scared now, I will only eat out every two or three weeks, and have no plans to take my children to play in the pool,” explains Chiu.
The health minister said there were four new cases yesterday which were all non-local infections, bringing it to 4,976 cases in Hong Kong. They consisted of two men and two women, aged 32 to 43, arriving from Japan, the Philippines, Rwanda and India.
Yesterday was also the first time no local infections have been recorded since July 4 but the Center for Health Protection said the number does not include patients diagnosed after midnight, including those taken by volunteer tests across the region.
Health officials said fewer than 10 initial positive patients were awaiting confirmation, including the possibility of some being infected locally. The total death toll from Covid-19 in Hong Kong has reached 102 after a man, 69 years old, died at Tuen Mun Hospital at 3:56 p.m. yesterday. The Yuen Long man was admitted to Pok Oi Hospital on July 30 with a fever and his condition had worsened since August 5.
