HONG KONG: Hong Kong will expand the size of public gatherings to four people and re-open more sports venues from Friday as the Asian financial hub relaxes strict curbs against a third wave of the coronavirus.
The measures come as new daily cases have dropped into the single digits from three figures. Last week gyms and massage parlors re-opened and night-time dining hours were extended.
Restaurants will be allowed to seat four people, up from two now, while indoor and outdoor recreation spaces will re-open, said Sophia Chan, the city’s health secretary, but swimming pools are to stay shut.
“We must strike a balance. The third wave is entering two months already and we have yet to see an end to it,” Chan told a news briefing, adding that new infections were being reported each day, some of unknown origin.
A mass testing scheme initiated by China for Hong Kong has picked up 16 new cases from more than 800,000 people tested, the government said on Tuesday.
About 1.2 million people in the city have sought tests from a population of 7 million.
Theme parks and convention centers could re-open on Sept. 18 in the former British colony, if conditions allow, authorities said, adding that Hong Kong was discussing travel bubbles with nations such as Singapore and Thailand.
Hong Kong Disneyland, majority-owned by the government with Walt Disney holding a minority stake, closed temporarily on July 15 for a second time this year due to the virus, after having reopened in June.
Hong Kong aims to re-open from Sept. 23 for face-to-face classes, as it eases curbs that have kept about 900,000 students working at home for more than four months.
Hong Kong eases some coronavirus curbs, allows gatherings of four
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Hong Kong eases some coronavirus curbs, allows gatherings of four
- Measures come as new daily cases have dropped into the single digits from three figures
- Hong Kong aims to re-open from Sept. 23 for face-to-face classes
Dozens of migrants brought to Malta after boat capsizes
- The group was rescued by Maltese armed forces boats and landed in Bugibba
- The migrants could be seen huddled in blankets
VALLETTA: Some 60 African migrants were brought to Malta on Friday after their boat capsized close to the Mediterranean island, one of the biggest groups to arrive in recent years.
The group was rescued by Maltese armed forces boats and landed in Bugibba, 10 miles north of Valletta. Eyewitnesses said several ambulances and many police were on the site.
The migrants could be seen huddled in blankets. Some were carried away on stretchers. Rescue officials said one of the arrivals was in poor medical condition.
Migrant arrivals on small boats in Malta have become relatively rare, with just over 200 coming in 2024 compared to more than 2,000 in 2020. Most leave from Libya, heading for Italy.
During a meeting in Malta on November 29, home affairs ministers from Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta declared that strengthening relations with countries of origin and transit was “key” to addressing irregular migration.
Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said during the meeting: “Our position is to save people. If you deserve asylum, you will get it. If not, then you will be sent back.”
Most of Malta’s migrant arrivals now come to the island on flights from Italy, overstay and work irregularly.
Malta has been working with Libya to prevent migrant departures and has provided training for its coast guard. Camilleri told the ministers in November that every sea voyage taken by irregular asylum seekers carried a risk of death, thus, “by working with Libya and preventing crossings, we are also saving lives.”
“Europe must be the one to decide who comes in,” he said.
