Coronavirus Hong Kong: tough vaccination and testing rules for businesses and customers as city leader unveils broad easing of social-distancing rules
- Decision to relax curbs not easy and it will not be able to satisfy all stakeholders, city leader says
- Government allows host of premises to reopen next week, but new rules require full vaccination and testing for some
Businesses and customers will still be subject to tough vaccination and testing rules for Covid-19 when Hong Kong starts easing social-distancing curbs from April 21, including an extension of dine-in hours for restaurants and the reopening of premises such as gyms, sports venues and cinemas.
Announcing long-awaited details of the first stage of a phased reopening plan with a review to be conducted after the Easter holidays, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Thursday noted the risk of more infections and cautioned against complacency.
“I hope the public will be more alert, especially during the coming Easter holidays,” she said. “The public should continue to get vaccinated … The decision to relax curbs is not easy, and it will not be able to satisfy all stakeholders.”
Falling infection numbers have put the city on track to ease restrictions in three phases over three months from April 21, after Lam earlier conceded that the public had reached the limits of tolerance for some of the harshest anti-epidemic measures in the world.