By The SUN
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| The news should come as a relief to musicians in Hong Kong (HKMU photo) |
Health officials today announced that live performances will be back in restaurants and bars starting from next Thursday, Oct. 20.
The move, announced during a press conference earlier today, should come as a relief to the city’s musicians, many of them Filipinos, who have been left unemployed by the ban on live shows imposed two-and-a-half years ago.
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But as a safeguard, performers will be made to undergo PCR tests for Covid-19 twice a week, and a rapid antigen test at the venue on the day of each performance.
They are also required to keep their masks on and maintain a distance from the audience while performing.
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Undersecretary for Health Dr Libby Lee also said the government plans to allow up to 12 people to gather in public from the current four.
She explained that limiting the number of people who gather together is one of the most effective measures to stop the spread of the virus but it must done gradually and in an orderly manner.
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“Once the disease is controlled, or all the immunity of the public is guaranteed,…we can slowly release the limitations on the number of people in gatherings,” she said.
Also as a further easing of the rules, people will be allowed to eat in outside areas of theme parks, instead of being confined to indoor restaurants or food courts.
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The decision to relax the rules was made even as the city recorded 5,622 new Covid infections, among which 387 were imported.
Eight more patients died in the past 24 hours.
Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said 23 more cases involving the new Covid sub-variant XBB have been found, raising the total tally to 29 so far.
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Au said that while the new variant could be more transmissible than the dominant B.4 and B.5 strain, there is still no evidence that it could lead to more serious complications.
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