Health authorities in Hong Kong recorded zero infections on Tuesday as the city leader defended the decision to reopen theme parks when protests had been banned because of the coronavirus threat.
With no cases of local transmission for five days in a row the Covid-19 tally remains at 1,107, with four related deaths.
Speaking ahead of meeting her Executive Council, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said barring more than eight people from gathering in public did not prohibit all activities involving larger numbers in a particular area, as she drew a line between visiting public attractions or amenities and joining protests with a common purpose.
“In a theme park, a cinema or a supermarket, there could be lots of people going in at the same time. But that doesn’t mean those people belong to the same group,” she said.
“They are just going in separately for shopping, watching movie or having fun.”
The government announced on Monday that Ocean Park would open on Saturday for the first time since closing in late January within days of the city confirming its first coronavirus cases.
Lam said: “The number of visitors to a theme park has been limited and it will not go back to the crowded situation as in the past.
“Visitors going to a restaurant, cinema or amusement ride in a theme park also face restrictions for these premises.”
She added: “It is impossible to say that we could only have eight people in a large theme park, cinema or supermarket.”
The restrictions on gathering in groups has been extended to June 18. But exemptions are in place for businesses such as cinemas, gyms and gaming arcades, which are required to comply with industry-specific measures for social distancing.
For example, fitness machines in gyms must be 1.5 metres apart, cinemas are limited to half-capacity and restaurants have to follow partition requirements.
Ocean Park has said that in its first two weeks back visitor numbers would be limited to a quarter of capacity, with the threshold gradually rising to half. Reservations would be required with each booking limited to eight people.
Meanwhile, education officials announced that 2,500 senior secondary cross-border students – Hongkongers living in mainland China – would be exempted from 14-day mandatory quarantine, meaning they could return to face-to-face classes next Monday.
Health authorities in Hong Kong recorded zero infections on Tuesday as the city leader defended the decision to reopen theme parks when protests had been banned because of the coronavirus threat.
With no cases of local transmission for five days in a row the Covid-19 tally remains at 1,107, with four related deaths.
Speaking ahead of meeting her Executive Council, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said barring more than eight people from gathering in public did not prohibit all activities involving larger numbers in a particular area, as she drew a line between visiting public attractions or amenities and joining protests with a common purpose.
In a theme park, a cinema or a supermarket, there could be lots of people going in at the same time. But that doesn’t mean those people belong to the same group,” she said.“They are just going in separately for shopping, watching movie or having fun.”
The government announced on Mondaythat Ocean Park would open on Saturday for the first time since closing in late January within days of the city confirming its first coronavirus cases.
The Disneyland Resort on Lantau Island would also resume operations, though a date has not been specified.
Lam said: “The number of visitors to a theme park has been limited and it will not go back to the crowded situation as in the past.
“Visitors going to a restaurant, cinema or amusement ride in a theme park also face restrictions for these premises.”
She added: “It is impossible to say that we could only have eight people in a large theme park, cinema or supermarket.”
The restrictions on gathering in groups has been extended to June 18. But exemptions are in place for businesses such as cinemas, gyms and gaming arcades, which are required to comply with industry-specific measures for social distancing.
Ocean Park has said that in its first two weeks back visitor numbers would be limited to a quarter of capacity, with the threshold gradually rising to half. Reservations would be required with each booking limited to eight people.
Meanwhile, education officials announced that 2,500 senior secondary cross-border students – Hongkongers living in mainland China – would be exempted from 14-day mandatory quarantine, meaning they could return to face-to-face classes next Monday.
Classes for Form Three to Five pupils resumed in the city on May 27, while those from Primary Four to Form Two returned on Monday.
But 27,000 cross-border students could not attend Hong Kong schools because of unresolved issues with Shenzhen authorities.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Education Bureau said the 2,500 Form Three to Five cross-border students must provide proof they had tested negative for the coroanvirus in the seven days before crossing boundary control points in Shenzhen. They must also take temperature checks and submit health declaration forms daily.
On entering Hong Kong through two border points in Shenzhen Bay and Lok Ma Chau, they will travel directly to schools on special buses to reduce the risk of infection. They are entitled to a month of subsidised travel from the government.
“The class resumption arrangements for cross-border students should be made with the safety and health of students, teachers and the public as the prime concern,” a bureau spokesman said.
He added that capacity issues meant only cross-border students in Form Three to Five would return “at this stage”.
Separately, researchers from the University of Hong Kong, as well as Wuhan, found further evidence that the coronavirus could spread via faeces after reviewing the cases of 244 children infected in the mainland Chinese city.
The study found that 13.9 per cent of the children had gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhoea or abdominal pain.
Researchers urged people to remain cautious about coming into contact with the excrement of children with Covid-19, whether the minors had gastrointestinal symptoms or not.
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