Gyms and massage parlors to reopen, restaurant dine-in hours extended as virus eases in Hong Kong

As COVID-19 cases dip, Hong Kong is expected to relax some of the strict social distancing measures that were enforced in July.

Gyms and massage parlors, which have been closed since July, are to reopen, providing welcome relief for the battered sectors that have borne the brunt of the city’s virus restrictions. Restaurant dine-in services, which currently end at 9pm under restrictions that were relaxed just last Friday, will be extended to 10pm.

The new measures will begin Friday, according to reports. Authorities are expected to announce the loosened restrictions in a press conference later on Wednesday.

Hong Kong has seen a steady fall in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks, with the number of new local infections averaging around 13 in the last seven days. The proportion of cases with no known transmission source is also decreasing, suggesting there are fewer asymptomatic patients in the city compared to late July and early August, when the virus was at its peak.

Just 12 new cases were reported yesterday, 9 of which were local infections.

A universal testing scheme offering residents a one-off, free COVID-19 test began yesterday. Over 710,000 people have signed up as of Wednesday, RTHK reports. 126,000 tests were conducted on the first day.

Pro-democracy activists, however, have been advocating a boycott of the testing scheme, criticizing the city-wide testing as a waste of resources and suggesting that a targeted approach would be more effective in containing the virus spread. Authorities, pro-Beijing groups and proponents of the scheme have held up participating in the scheme as a “civic duty.”

As the virus eases, the education bureau announced Monday that schools will resume face-to-face teaching in stages later this month. Schools must require students and teachers to wear face masks, and maintain social distancing policies.

As of Tuesday, over 4,820 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the city. 90 patients, most of them elderly and with underlying diseases, have succumbed to the virus.