Crowds return to struggling Hong Kong businesses as coronavirus social-distancing rules eased
- Ice-skating rinks, game centres and museums among venues reopening on Friday
- Restaurants also benefit as number of people allowed to sit together raised from two to four
In a move many hope will revitalise the city’s stagnant economy, officials lifted restrictions on the number of people allowed to eat together and meet in public. A variety of businesses, including museums, mahjong parlours and skating rinks, were given permission to reopen. Indoor and outdoor sport facilities run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department can also resume operations, but in phases.
However, bars and pubs, bathhouses, party rooms, clubs and nightclubs, karaoke premises, swimming pools and beaches remain closed. The government announced on Thursday that all public services will resume on September 15.
By 3pm on Friday, more than 20 children and teenagers were rollerblading and skateboarding at Lai Chi Kok Skatepark. Homemaker Cindy Wong Yan, 40, had brought her five-year-old son to burn off some of his energy.
“I understand why the government had to close playgrounds, because they’re usually small and crowded with kids. I think it was an overreaction to close a huge outdoor space like this,” she said of the park, which stretches across 1,600 square metres.
Wong said she was not too worried about contracting the coronavirus at outdoor sports facilities, as long as there was crowd control and regular disinfection.