HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong said it will allow gyms, massage parlours and some sports venues to reopen beginning Friday (Sept 4), as virus cases drop off from record highs.
In a further relaxation of rules, dine-in services at restaurants will be extended by one hour to 10pm, said Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan in a briefing Wednesday.
A cap of two people per table will remain in effect, while public gatherings will be limited to two people for another seven days.
Hong Kong has been gradually easing social-distancing measures in the Asian financial hub as it brings its biggest Covid-19 outbreak under control.
It announced earlier this week the reopening of schools in phases.
The government is also in the midst of a Beijing-backed campaign to get everyone in the city tested, with about 745,000 residents registered for it as of Wednesday.
Hong Kong, which saw daily case numbers top 100 as recently as a month ago, reported eight new virus cases on Wednesday, all of which were locally transmitted, with four of them having an unknown origin.
Hong Kong also said it would cancel the annual firework display to mark China's national day on Oct 1 for a second year in a row.
Pro-democracy protests made the 2019 celebrations difficult, though they have become fewer and smaller this year due mainly to limits on group gatherings and the imposition of a national security law that punishes actions China views as subversive, secessionist, terrorist or colluding with foreign forces.
Demonstrations on Oct 1 last year saw the first protester shot with live rounds by the police amid violent confrontations.
"In response to the latest situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, the National Day fireworks ... will be cancelled," the government said in a statement on the celebrations, which usually take place near the picturesque Victoria Harbour.
While Hong Kong is reopening gyms in an effort to improve residents' physical and mental health, masks will still be required during exercising.
Questions have been raised over the possible risks to wearing masks while exercising, but one health expert dismissed concerns over the policy.
"For low-to-moderate exercise in healthy persons, it should not pose too much problem," said Dr Leung Chi-chiu, former chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association's advisory committee on communicable diseases.
"Suitably reducing exercise intensity may help those who have problems."
The government last week relaxed mask-wearing at country parks and for exercising outdoors, but "in situations where social distancing cannot be met, people still need to wear masks during exercise," Dr Leung said.
Associate Professor Nicholas Thomas from City University of Hong Kong, said a more important issue is the hygiene within the gyms as well as the number of people who will be allowed to exercise.
"A gym operating at full capacity, where masks are being worn, offers far more opportunities for viral transmission than a small table of diners without masks," he said.
