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Coronavirus: no new cases of Covid-19 as Hong Kong eases social-distancing measures
- Wednesday marks 17th day in a row of no locally transmitted infections
- New guidelines issued by Food and Health Bureau outline conditions as city prepares to return to normal
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Hong Kong recorded no new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday as officials announced guidelines allowing the city to return to some semblance of normality, as part of the relaxing of restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus.
It was the 17th day in a row of no locally transmitted cases, with only a handful of imported infections over that period taking the city’s total to 1,040, with four related deaths.
The easing of social-distancing rules paves the way for bigger weddings and larger public gatherings, while some businesses can reopen from Friday, the Food and Health Bureau said, but there were conditions attached.
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“We hope life can return to normal gradually with these venues reopening in stages, but some will reopen in the next phase after further consideration,” Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee told a radio programme, adding the government might step up social-distancing rules again if the latest relaxation saw a “dissatisfactory result”.
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Eight types of business, including amusement arcades, cinemas, gyms, beauty and massage parlours, and mahjong premises, could resume trading from Friday subject to conditions, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Tuesday.
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