Government-managed campsites across Hong Kong will reopen on November 17. In addition, people can remove their masks to eat at certain outdoor premises, and there will be no need to scan the vaccine pass at certain premises.
At a Covid-19 press briefing on Thursday, Undersecretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, announced the following changes to Hong Kong’s social distancing restrictions, which will come into effect on November 17:
- All government-run campsites and outdoor recreational facilities will reopen.
- Visitors to performance venues and outdoor sports premises can remove their masks to eat and drink.
- Staff at premises such as clubhouses, mahjong parlours, religious establishments, and barbershops do not need to actively check the vaccine pass.
- Hong Kong residents and visitors with an amber health code can enter places where the vaccine pass is not actively checked.
However, Dr Lee clarified that at places like “catering premises, bars, hotels, spas and skating rinks, which allow customers not to wear masks, and cinemas and performance venues which allow customers to eat, there will be a need for proactive inspection [of the vaccine pass].” Swimming pools, massage parlours, nightclubs, sports institutions and cruises come under this category as well, added Dr Lee.
The announcement comes after the government recently reopened barbecue pits and relaxed mask-wearing rules in certain indoor spaces so that patrons can take photographs. Starting later this month, members of tour groups who enter the city using the services of licensed travel agencies can visit theme parks, museums and temples even if they have an amber code.
Header image credits: Samuel Wong via Flickr
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