Two-person limit to public gatherings back in latest social distancing rules

Hong Kong Police along with other government authorities enforced social distancing measures Sunday, Aug. 9 in areas frequented by foreign domestic workers. (FILE PHOTO/Hong Kong Police Force/Facebook)

Hong Kong will revert to setting a two-person cap on both public gatherings and diners per table in its retightening of social distancing measures amid the worsening COVID-19 situation in the city.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the restrictions on Monday afternoon, the tightest since the start of the third wave in mid-July, as the city faced 76 new COVID-19 cases.

Lam said the new restrictions, which were discussed with the four government experts on the pandemic over the weekend, will take effect starting Dec. 2 and will last for two weeks.

Under the current Prevention and Control Ordinance, those who violate the gathering ban, the mask ban, and the compulsory testing order may be fined a fixed penalty of HK$2,000.

But Lam mentioned violators may be further penalised, as the current fine is “not really a deterrent” from violations. She said she will meet with the Executive Council to look at increasing the amount of the penalty in multiples.

“We see a need to increase the sanction because, at present, the fixed penalty is HK$2,000—and therefore, the sanction will have to be multiplied,” Lam said in Cantonese.

The city leader said the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had conducted around 14,300 inspections in establishments for violations, and some 484 fixed penalty tickets have been issued.

Dine-in services at restaurants will stop earlier at 10 p.m. compared to the previous 12 a.m. Swimming pools and entertainment venues include game arcade centres, mahjong parlours, and tin kau outlets will also be ordered shut down.

Fitness and sports centres will stay open—provided classes will be limited to two people who will wear masks. Beauty salons and massage parlours will also be allowed to operate as long as they observe anti-epidemic measures.

Civil servants will be required to work from home, but emergency government and essential public services will still be available.

A hotline will be set up for people to report seeming contraventions of social distancing measures. Asked if the hotline may be abused or misused, Hong Kong’s chief executive said the hotline should not cause people to overreact as government forces will still investigate if there was indeed a violation committed.

“This is not sort of monitoring people and so on,” Lam said. “This is jointly shouldering the part of the responsibility given the very serious pandemic situation that we are now facing.”

Hong Kong’s fourth COVID-19 wave was marked by a growing cluster of infections found linked to dance halls. There are 520 cases linked to the cluster since Nov. 19 after the Centre for Health Protection confirmed another 40 people to be positive.

This is a developing story.