Social distancing measures in Hong Kong, including the forced closures of gyms and cinemas, as well as a ban on any gathering of more than four people, have been extended until May 7.
Announcing the move yesterday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam urged people to remain vigilant against the spread of the coronavirus, adding that the decision on the extension was a difficult one because of the impact on residents and businesses.
But she noted that Hong Kong had done better than many other places under lockdown.
"I have come to this view, together with the advice of the experts and my colleagues, that for the time being, the better balance to be struck and a safer approach is to ensure that all the success that Hong Kong has achieved over the last three months will not be wasted," Mrs Lam told journalists before the weekly Executive Council meeting.
She then announced that the social distancing measures, which have also led to the closure of bars, nightclubs and massage parlours, would be extended for another 14 days.
The city banned public gatherings of more than four people for 14 days from March 29, and subsequently extended it until Thursday.
Schools have been closed since January, and many people are working from home.
The territory recorded zero new cases of infections on Monday for the first time since early March. It reported four additional cases yesterday, taking the total to 1,029.
Hordes of people with masks on were spotted out and about over the past two weekends, triggering pleas from health experts and the government on the need to be cautious and remain vigilant.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Hong Kong University's Professor Benjamin Cowling said the territory had been successful in suppressing transmission, adding that it was doing a lot of testing of outpatients and inpatients and would be able to identify "very quickly" any future increases in infections.
But the infectious disease epidemiology expert also cautioned against complacency.
"I think some of the measures might gradually be relaxed in the coming weeks, but we will need to be ready to tighten measures if infections resurge," he said.
Yesterday, the Food and Health Bureau said in a statement that it would suspend the requirement for eateries to have only half the number of customers of its seating capacity. Other rules such as having tables 1.5m apart and the mandatory use of masks remain.
As of Monday, a total of 35 eatery owners have been prosecuted for breaching the rules, and 131 people have been issued fixed penalty tickets for breaching the rule against gatherings of no more than four people.
The authorities have also started proceedings on three suspected cases of organising gatherings.
Mainland China yesterday reported that there were 11 new coronavirus cases on Monday, down from 12 a day earlier, with no new deaths. Of the total, four were imported, down from eight the previous day, according to the National Health Commission.
Meanwhile, South Korea yesterday reported nine new infections on Monday, marking the third straight day the country's new cases have stayed below 15, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Five of them were imported. The death toll rose by one to 237.
In Japan, new infections rose by 278 to 11,431 yesterday evening, with 123 new cases recorded in the capital Tokyo, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities. The national death toll reached 288, including those from a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.
