The government, starting today, allowing restaurants to serve up to eight guest per table, reopening beaches and allowing citizens to exercise without their masks.

At Tuen Mun Park this morning, a maskless elderly man surnamed Chung practiced Chinese martial arts. He said he didn't watch TV and didn't know the mask requirement for outdoor exercise was lifted today.

He was happy to hear the news and said exercising without the mask would definitely be good for his breathing.

“A healthy body means you won't get infected, and you can't transmit the disease to others if you are not infected,” he also said.

Meanwhile, some still wore their masks while working out, saying they didn't know that the requirement was scrapped today and had already become used to wearing a mask.

Starting May 19, the curbs will be further eased and citizens need not wear a mask when exercising at an indoor sports center.

Although the beaches and pools are allowed to reopen on Thursday, 38 swimming pools run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will only reopen Thursday next week (May 12).

Regarding the delayed reopening of public swimming pools, Hong Kong and Kowloon Life Guards Union's vice president Nick Wu Kai-wing blamed authorities for the lack of communication, adding that the department probably didn't know about the date for reopening in advance.

Speaking on a radio program, Wu said only 15 out of 42 beaches have a lifeguard due to a manpower shortage, and pointed out that the current manpower could only guard half of all reopening beaches.

He believed the problem would worsen when public swimming pools reopen next week.