Some social distancing measures to be relaxed next Thur as 4th wave of Covid-19 subsides

Hong Kong has announced that some Covid-19 social distancing measures will be relaxed from next week.

Gyms and beauty parlours will be able to reopen next Thursday, as well as theme parks and cinemas.

jordan covid lockdown — Photo: Galileo Cheng/HKFP.

Meanwhile, eateries will be able to host up to four dine-in guests at each table until 10pm. Staff at restaurants will need to be tested every fortnight, and diners will need to use the government “LeaveHomeSafe” app to check in.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan told reporters on Thursday that the rules will only be relaxed if there is no sudden uptick in infections over the Lunar New Year break.

Some government services will also resume: “In view of the need to reduce flows of people and social contact, bureaux and departments will continue to implement targeted measures while resuming public services, such as staggering of work and lunch hours and using video conferencing to reduce the need for holding face-to-face meetings,” a government spokesperson said.

Hong Kong has seen 10,694 cases of the coronavirus and 188 deaths.

Correction 16/2: A previous version of this article erroneously stated that government sports venues were set to fully reopen.