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More Covid curbs to be eased as CE heads to Beijing for duty visit
Hong Kong will further ease social distancing measures, including rules on banquets, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said before a trip to Beijing.
Lee said he will head to the capital for a duty visit from Wednesday to Saturday and will report the latest situation on Covid and the economy to President Xi Jinping.
The details of the Covid curbs relaxation will be provided at a health briefing later today, Lee added.
According to the sources, people no longer need to show a negative Covid-19 RAT result when going to bars, banquets or joining local group tours. The restriction on the number of persons allowed in premises such as cinemas, performance venues, theme parks etc., will also be scraped.
Last week the city scrapped some of its remaining Covid restrictions following China’s rapid shift away from a zero-tolerance approach. Such curbs have hobbled the city’s economy and hurt its outlook as a financial hub.
Lee promised to reflect Hong Kongers' hopes to reopen the border with mainland China, but he did not say when that will happen. Most checkpoints between Hong Kong and China have been closed during much of the pandemic.
“I believe the central government understands very much about Hong Kong residents' longstanding hopes for reopening the border and having exchanges in a normal manner,” he said.
Hong Kong still has several rules in place to limit the spread of Covid, including restrictions on the number of diners per table at bars and restaurants as well as group gatherings.
Masks have to be worn in public places, arrivals are subject to PCR tests, while anyone going to a bar needs to show a negative rapid antigen test.
Current rules stipulate that a maximum of 240 people can attend banquets.
Last month, Lee asked Beijing to make a ruling that could effectively block prominent pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from hiring a British lawyer for his national security trial hours after the city's top court approved Lai's plan to be represented by Timothy Owen.
Lee said that mainland authorities have shown support to his move, adding that he anticipated Beijing would make the decision as soon as possible.
Lai's trial was originally scheduled for Dec. 1 but has been postponed to next September as the city awaits Beijing's decision.
Separately, Macau chief executive Ho Iat-seng will also head to Beijing over Dec. 21-24 for a duty visit, Chinese state media and a government statement said on Tuesday.
The details of the Covid curbs relaxation will be provided at a health briefing later today, Lee added.
According to the sources, people no longer need to show a negative Covid-19 RAT result when going to bars, banquets or joining local group tours. The restriction on the number of persons allowed in premises such as cinemas, performance venues, theme parks etc., will also be scraped.
Last week the city scrapped some of its remaining Covid restrictions following China’s rapid shift away from a zero-tolerance approach. Such curbs have hobbled the city’s economy and hurt its outlook as a financial hub.
Lee promised to reflect Hong Kongers' hopes to reopen the border with mainland China, but he did not say when that will happen. Most checkpoints between Hong Kong and China have been closed during much of the pandemic.
“I believe the central government understands very much about Hong Kong residents' longstanding hopes for reopening the border and having exchanges in a normal manner,” he said.
Hong Kong still has several rules in place to limit the spread of Covid, including restrictions on the number of diners per table at bars and restaurants as well as group gatherings.
Masks have to be worn in public places, arrivals are subject to PCR tests, while anyone going to a bar needs to show a negative rapid antigen test.
Current rules stipulate that a maximum of 240 people can attend banquets.
Last month, Lee asked Beijing to make a ruling that could effectively block prominent pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from hiring a British lawyer for his national security trial hours after the city's top court approved Lai's plan to be represented by Timothy Owen.
Lee said that mainland authorities have shown support to his move, adding that he anticipated Beijing would make the decision as soon as possible.
Lai's trial was originally scheduled for Dec. 1 but has been postponed to next September as the city awaits Beijing's decision.
Separately, Macau chief executive Ho Iat-seng will also head to Beijing over Dec. 21-24 for a duty visit, Chinese state media and a government statement said on Tuesday.
