Hong Kong Poised to Reopen Gyms, Massage Parlors, SCMP Says - BNN

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Treadmills and other fitness equipment stand inside a gym, temporary closed due to the coronavirus, in Hong Kong, China, on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Hong Kong announced plans to ban gatherings of more than four people and close cinemas, gyms and arcades, after the Asian financial center recorded its largest one-day surge in coronavirus cases on March 27. , Bloomberg


(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong is poised to let gyms and massage parlors reopen after current social distancing measures expire on Thursday, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people.

Such venues will still need to meet certain conditions such as requiring people to wear masks while exercising, according to the report. Restaurants will be allowed to accept diners until 10 p.m., an hour longer than now, according to the report.

The move would be the latest relaxation of social-distancing measures in the Asian financial hub as virus casesdrop off from record highs. The government is also in the midst of a Beijing-backed campaign to get everyone in the city tested, though only a fraction of residents had registered for it as of Wednesday.

Hong Kong, which saw daily case numbers top 100 as recently as a month ago, reported 12 virus cases on Tuesday, of which nine were locally transmitted and three were imported. Most were linked to previous infections but investigators couldn’t trace how one of the people contracted the virus.

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