Singaporeans rejoiced when the nation reopened further into ‘Phase 2’ on 19 Jun. Hong Kongers are going to see their very own version on Friday (11 Sep).
Eased measures will include dine-in groups of 4 and the reopening of various indoor and outdoor facilities.
This is in light of the reduction of Covid-19 cases to single-digit numbers, with 6 cases reported today, according to CoronaTracker.
However, local authorities are still cautious, taking into consideration that the city has experienced its 3rd wave of coronavirus cases.
About 1.2 million Hong Kong residents have gone for testing so far.
Hong Kong’s economy has shrunk by 9% in the second quarter of 2020, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).
In spite of this, the city seems to be taking baby steps toward its own version of ‘Phase 2’. Hong Kong’s allowance of 4 people in a group will be smaller than Singapore’s groups of 5.
Singapore has reopened attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore.
However for Hong Kong, convention centres and theme parks such as Disneyland will stay closed. The authorities will allow their reopening on 18 Sep should the circumstances permit.
Though the city is allowing larger groups, it is still taking into consideration the fact that residents are still testing positive for Covid-19.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Hong Kong health secretary Ms Sophia Chan said in a news briefing,
We must strike a balance. The third wave is entering 2 months already and we have yet to see an end to it.
She added that new cases, some unlinked, are still surfacing each day.
CNA also reports that the city is aiming to resume face-to-face classes on 23 Sep for about 900,000 students, who have been having their own version of home-based learning for more than 4 months.
Furthermore, discussions for travel agreements with Singapore and Thailand, among other nations have taken place.
Compared to Singapore, which had a head start for its ‘Phase 2’ on 19 Jun, Hong Kong is still in the starting process of reopening.
As Covid-19 is highly infectious, we hope citizens can follow safety measures closely to ensure that the city doesn’t see a relapse.
We hope Hong Kong will eventually be able to take larger strides toward the easing of measure when circumstances permit.
Featured image adapted from Market Watch.
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