In response to your front page article of Friday, August 21 (“ Rules unlikely to be relaxed until mass testing ends ”), I must say that our local health officials are surely being unnecessarily conservative about social distancing for diners. I suggest that restaurants be allowed to reopen for dinner forthwith. How so? The number of new infections has definitely declined, even as the powers that be agreed to two per table for daytime dining several weeks ago. Unremarked by the government (looking in the wrong direction as usual) is that many hotels , in a remarkably creative effort to survive, have been offering sumptuous “afternoon teas” (2.30pm to 5.30pm, or 4pm to 6pm), or a night’s stay for two (even three if including kids) plus buffet breakfast – for quite attractive prices. I have participated, and many of my friends and family members have done so: great value for money. The check-in queues at the hotels speak for themselves as to numbers. Speaking from experience, the hotel staff appear to be diligent in reminding diners to wear their masks when going to the buffet tables. As these numbers don’t appear to have been included in the government’s calculations, then empirically we’re doing vastly better than the government would have us believe. Hongkongers are being more seriously attentive to our social cohesion in defeating this pandemic than the government gives us credit for. Stuart R. McCarthy, Gloucester Road