Customers dine in a fast-food restaurant where social distancing measures are put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Hong Kong, Aug 13, 2020. (WANG SHEN/XINHUA)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong will relax social distancing rules from Friday, allowing dine-in services at restaurants till 9 pm and the removal of masks during outdoor exercise, as COVID-19 cases in the city dwindled.

The exemption on masks during exercise will last for seven days, Chan said, adding that many people had stopped exercising due to the requirement.The city will also reopen cinemas, beauty parlors and outdoor sports venues where physical contact is limited, said Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee at a briefing on Tuesday. Current social distancing measures -- the strictest in the financial hub to date -- was scheduled to expire on Tuesday and would be extended to Friday.

Despite the easing, restaurant seating will remain limited to two people per table. No food or drinks will be allowed in cinemas, which will provide socially distanced seating for moviegoers. Masks will be required at beauty parlors, with certain exceptions.

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“Under this new normal, it is hard to expect there will be no confirmed cases in the long term,” said Chan. “We have to accept the possibility of having some specific cases and clusters.”

“Therefore, the government cannot wait until there are no cases in the community to relax social distancing rules,” Chan said. She added that many people had stopped exercising due to the mask requirement.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council, meanwhile, said the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, would be held from Dec 16 to 22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

On Tuesday morning, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said there had been a “reassuring” downward trend in cases. 

Under this new normal, it is hard to expect there will be no confirmed cases in the long term. We have to accept the possibility of having some specific cases and clusters.

Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR govt

Speaking at a weekly briefing before a meeting of her advisory Executive Council, Lam said virus cases had been decreasing since she last briefed on Friday. But she added that it was still hard to avoid some small community outbreaks, and that the government would continue monitoring and regularly test workers at the city’s port. Hong Kong reported just seven new locally transmitted infections on Monday.

“This trend is reassuring, but we’re only seeing this trend for several days,” she said.

She added the authorities are in continued discussions with representatives in the food and beverage, sports and salon sectors.

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Hong Kong is among regional spots battling a fresh wave of cases after seeing initial success containing the virus, including Vietnam, South Korea and Australia. The government has urged citizens to take part in a voluntary free two-week drive to test the entire population for COVID-19 starting Sept 1, aided by mainland experts and labs.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council said the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, which had been postponed due to COVID-19, would be held from Dec 16 to 22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center

Lam repeated that the testing campaign was fully supported by Beijing and urged participation.

“I would appeal to the public to actively participate in the universal testing scheme in order to find silent carriers as soon as possible,” she said. “The reason why Hong Kong at this moment has a capacity to undertake such a large scale universal community testing is because of the assistance rendered by the central people’s government.”

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As Hong Kong’s third wave of virus cases tails off, restaurants and other small businesses are seeking relaxation of distancing measures. Smaller businesses have been especially hard hit, with protests last year knocking Hong Kong into a recession even before the pandemic hit.

Executive Council members have said restrictions would likely ease after cases reached the single digits.

Hong Kong’s Legislative Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the government’s coronavirus efforts on Friday.

With inputs from Agencies