COVID-19 Cases In Hong Kong Decreasing: Gyms To Cinemas Reopened, Restaurant Dining Hours Extended

Ilustrasi COVID-19 di Hong Kong. (Wikimedia Commons/Voice of America Tang Huiyun)

JAKARTA - Hong Kong authorities have decided to reopen a number of public facilities, to extend dining hours at restaurants in line with the decline in cases of COVID-19 infection.

Hong Kong reopened gyms, beauty salons, theme parks, and cinemas for the first time in more than four months on Thursday, as some of the world's strictest COVID-19 restrictions are weighing on residents and businesses.

Dining hours at the restaurant have been extended to 10 p.m. local time. Then, the meeting in groups was also expanded to four people after previously only two. Then, schools are also resuming face-to-face learning after months of online learning.

The easing comes as the daily number of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong has fallen below 1.000 cases over the past six days, from a peak of more than 70.000 on March 3.

While many residents were relieved by the easing of the rules, a number of businesses have closed and tens of thousands of people have fled the city when authorities reimposed measures in January that were first implemented in 2020.

Hong Kong has been grappling with enacting a "zero dynamic" COVID policy similar to that of mainland China, which aims to stop all outbreaks versus living with the virus as many countries do.

Hong Kong's borders have been effectively closed since 2020 with few flights able to land and almost no passengers allowed to transit, isolating a city that has built a reputation as a global hub.

Pools and beaches remained closed, much to the frustration of many athletes and residents. Bars, nightclubs, and saunas are also still closed, with many unable to survive and others on loan time.

While Hong Kong managed to contain the coronavirus for most of 2021, a wave of the highly contagious Omicron variant brought the former British colony to its knees in February, flooding its world-class medical system as cases swept through the crowded city.

In total, Hong Kong has recorded more than 1.1 million cases of COVID-19 infection and 8.963 deaths.