Hong Kong third wave: public health experts split on easing social-distancing rules as city confirms 24 new Covid-19 cases
- From Friday, restaurant dine-in service will be extended to 9pm and cinemas, beauty parlours and some sports venues can reopen
- Origin of 10 of the latest cases could not be traced, sustaining the high percentage of local infections with unknown sources
All of the latest infections were locally transmitted, pushing the city’s tally to 4,734. An 81-year-old male Covid-19 patient was the latest fatality, taking the number of deaths to 79.
The city registered just nine new infections on Monday, the lowest since July 3. But the daily count reached 19 on Tuesday – including 16 locally transmitted cases – and climbed further on Wednesday.
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Ten of the new cases were untraced, sustaining the high percentage of local infections with unknown sources recently.
“The daily numbers go up and down,” said Dr Chuang Chuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection. “From what we have seen in the past few weeks, sometimes the figures are higher, and sometimes the numbers are lower. We’re seeing a downward trend, even though it’s still not at a very low level yet.”
Unless there were “drastic changes” to the virus situation, the government would relax some social-distancing rules from Friday, health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Tuesday.
Restaurants will be permitted to offer a dine-in service until 9pm, three hours longer than the current cut-off point, while cinemas, beauty parlours and some sports venues can reopen. People will no longer be required to wear masks while exercising outdoors or when in country parks.
But other measures, such as the closure of more than 10 types of businesses such as bars and gyms, as well as the ban on public gatherings of more than two people, will be extended.