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HONG KONG: Hong Kong to reopen public beaches and increase the number of people allowed to sit together in bars and restaurants starting Friday (October 30) as the city continues to undo the strict COVID-19 rules implemented in July .
Sophia Chan, the health secretary of China’s special administrative region, said six people could sit together in restaurants, instead of four. Bars will be able to seat four people together, instead of two.
All dining rooms may remain open until 2 a.m. M., Later than the current midnight closing time.
Chan said public beaches would reopen Friday with social distancing measures, including masks and bans on large gatherings, still in effect.
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“The epidemic situation has continued to decline over the past two weeks,” Chan told a news conference. He warned that residents must remain vigilant to combat the virus, as there are still unknown transmission chains in the community.
The relaxation of the measures comes as the Asian financial center has maintained single digits or no new local cases in recent weeks. However, the city has continued to register imported cases.
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“Globally, there is a worsening epidemic situation that may continue to pose some risk to Hong Kong’s public health,” he said.
The government began relaxing restrictions on restaurants, sports facilities and theme parks in September after a massive testing program organized by the Chinese government found 42 cases.
The program examined 1.8 million people, nearly a quarter of Hong Kong’s population.
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