Hong Kong records no new local Covid-19 cases for first time since third wave began, as pubs, swimming pools to reopen

Key points:

•Dine-in services are banned from midnight until 5am, and restaurants must operate at half capacity with no more than four people per table

•Bars and nightclubs can resume operations at half capacity and with no more than two people per table. Live music and dance performances are banned

•Karaoke lounges and party rooms can reopen with a maximum of four people per room. Masks must be worn at all times except when eating or drinking

•Swimming pools will reopen at half capacity, with groups capped at four people and spaced at least 1.5 metres apart. Beaches will remain closed

•Sports premises will reopen with groups capped at four. Masks must be worn indoors except in the shower

•Theme parks and exhibition centres must operate at half capacity

Karaoke lounges, swimming pools, bars and nightclubs in Hong Kong can reopen from Friday, with the city recording zero local coronavirus cases for the first time since the third wave of infections erupted in early July.

The announcement by authorities on Tuesday meant all 14 types of establishments – including the city’s two major theme parks – that were forced to close earlier as the pandemic raged can resume operations after four rounds of rules-easing. But public gatherings would still be limited to four people.

“It is not a total relaxation of measures. It’s with conditions centred on reducing the risks of mask-off activities, having a capacity limit on the number of people, as well as [setting] a distance between people when these activities are carried out,” health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said.

“We all know that we are under this new normal before we have vaccines. On one hand, we hope to reduce the risk of infections in the community, but on the other hand, people would like to resume their normal lives and economic activities,” she added.