In this file photo taken on May 14, 2020, people visit bars in Lan Kwai Fong, a popular drinking area, in Hong Kong.
(ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 15 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, all of which were imported, as the city’s bars and nightclubs reopened.
The new cases included 13 travelers from Nepal, and one each from India and Indonesia, according to a document issued by the Centre for Health Protection.
Over the past two weeks, the city logged 143 new cases, 35 of which were local infections, including 15 that were untraceable. Thursday was the fifth consecutive day that Hong Kong did not have any untraceable cases.
Over the past two weeks, the city logged 143 new cases, 35 of which were local infections while 15 were untraceable. Thursday was the fifth consecutive day that there were no untraceable cases
Also on Thursday, the city began easing more social distancing rules, allowing bars, nightclubs and other leisure venues to reopen under the government’s “vaccine bubble” program.
In the city's 's famed party zone Lan Kwai Fong, dormant bars and clubs are revving up to serve customers again, but only if they have had at least one vaccine shot – one of the few examples globally of offering greater freedom for the vaccinated.
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Bar staff need to have gotten at least one coronavirus vaccine dose too, and patrons must register with a government mobile tracking application as they enter.
The special administrative region has kept COVID-19 transmission largely under control. Hong Kong's tally on Thursday stood at 11,770, far lower than other developed cities. The new rules are meant to encourage the city's 7.5 million residents to get vaccinated.
"The re-opening of bars and the extension of opening hours are incentives for people to receive the vaccination, while the most important thing … is to prevent the spread of the infection, should it hit us again," said Professor Lau Chak Sing, head of department of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
"In an ideal situation, one should complete the course of vaccination to ensure protection," he said, adding that with Hong Kong's adequate supply of vaccines, people eager to go to bars would complete both their first and second doses.
Venues including nightclubs, karaoke lounges and bathhouses, can stay open until 2 am but must operate at half capacity, Sophia Chan Siu-chee, the city's Health Secretary said. Bars can only seat two people per table.
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Customers must scan the government's app and show their vaccination record – stored electronically on their mobile phones – when they enter.
Restaurants can stay open until 2 am and seat up to 8 people at a table, provided they have received both vaccine doses. But they must have a separate area for unvaccinated customers, and depending on whether staff have been vaccinated, might be required to close 10 pm or midnight.
With Reuters' inputs