Officials will further adjust social distancing measures as Hong Kong achieved zero local coronavirus cases for 14 days in a row yesterday, with quarantine rules to be shortened to seven days soon.
From June 30, vaccinated Hong Kong residents who test positive for antibodies against Covid-19 will have their mandatory hotel quarantine cut to seven days instead of the current 14 to 21 days, when they return to the city.
This rule can also apply to non-residents coming to Hong Kong after officials firm up the details of the scheme.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam yesterday announced that residents can undergo the antibody test before flying out of Hong Kong so that when they return and test negative for the virus, their quarantine can be shortened to seven days.
She was speaking at a 90-minute briefing during which she also promised that the government will continue to adopt a "vigorous yet precise approach" to keep imported cases at bay.
Hong Kong has recorded between one and seven daily imported cases in the past month.
So far, there have been more than 11,800 infections and 210 deaths since the pandemic hit.
From Thursday, for two weeks, restaurants can run at full capacity, up from 75 per cent, if all their staff are fully vaccinated and two-thirds of their customers have had at least the first dose of a vaccine. Dine-in services can still go on till 2am, but each table will be able to sit up to 12 patrons, up from eight.
Eateries where all staff have at least the first shot of a vaccine and customers use the contact tracing LeaveHomeSafe app will be allowed to run at 75 per cent capacity, up from 50 per cent. Dine-in services currently end at midnight with patrons per table capped at six. In this instance, customers do not need to be vaccinated but have to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.
Banquets will be capped at 180 guests, but the four-person cap on public gatherings stays.
Tables at bars and clubs can have up to four patrons, up from two, only if all staff and customers have had at least one jab.
In karaoke lounge and mahjong parlours, the number of patrons is raised to eight per table if they meet vaccination requirements.
People in gym classes need not wear masks if they are fully vaccinated.
Religious gatherings, weddings and business meetings will be allowed to be held at a venue's full capacity so long as two-thirds of the participants are inoculated.
"Some people will still think that they are on the stringent side, but we do need to rely on an enhanced vaccination rate in order to have further relaxation," said Mrs Lam.
She noted that Hong Kong's vaccination rate is "not satisfactory" and is lower than that in mainland China, Singapore, European countries and Israel.
Since the inoculation drive began on Feb 26, about 28.5 per cent of Hong Kong's 7.5 million population have received their first jab, while more than 3.2 million doses have been administered.
Still, Mrs Lam said, life has been slowly returning to normal since mid-April, with more businesses resuming operations, large-scale events like Art Basel held and the resumption of face-to-face classes in all schools - all of which are "good signs" for Hong Kong's economic recovery.
The Asian financial hub's economy grew 7.9 per cent in the first three months of the year, while the jobless rate stood at 6 per cent for the three months from March, down from 6.4 per cent for the months of February to April.
