Hong Kong reopens beaches, Beijing relaxes quarantine rules

BEIJING: Hong Kong on Thursday reopened beaches and pools in a relaxation of COVID19 restrictions, while China's capital Beijing began easing quarantine rules for arrivals from overseas.

Hong Kong had closed water sports venues amid an outbreak of the highly transmissible omicron variant but has been tailing off restrictions as new case numbers fall. Deaths from COVID19 have fallen from a high of almost 300 per day in March to zero in recent days.

Restaurants are also allowed to seat up to eight customers to a table from four previously and masks will no longer be required during outdoor exercise, a change that's important mainly to organizers of group sporting events. We're looking forward to Mother's Day, and being able to have up to eight people sitting at a table," said William So, assistant general manager of the London Restaurant, a long-time destination for traditional dim sum.

Business will go up, three generations of a family can sit down and eat together," said So, as carts piled high with steaming bamboo baskets full of savory dumplings circulated through the packed dining room. Already, bookings have more than doubled since the relaxed seating policy was announced, he said.

A further round of easing is scheduled to begin May 19, when bars and clubs will be allowed to reopen and restaurants in the southern Chinese city will be permitted to serve customers until midnight.

China has maintained its hardline zero-COVID approach but has imposed less onerous restrictions on the capital than in other cities such as Shanghai, where millions were placed under strict lockdown.

Beijing will now require arrivals from overseas to quarantine at a hotel for 10 days, followed by another week of home isolation.