Hair salons allowed to reopen from Thursday

The government says hair salons can reopen from Thursday, but other social distancing measures will be extended until at least March 23.

Health officials on Tuesday said that taking into account that people have an “actual need” for a haircut, as well as the smooth implementation of the vaccine pass scheme, hair salons will be allowed to reopen for business.

But officials said customers will need to use the LeaveHomeSafe app and must have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, adding that staff will have to check customers’ vaccination status before they can be allowed in.

Officials said as Hong Kong’s epidemic situation remains severe, the government needs to maintain stringent social distancing rules to manage the risk of virus transmission in the community.

Current restrictions will stay for the time being, including no dining-in at restaurants after 6pm, the closure of entertainment venues and gyms, and a maximum of two households mixing in private dwellings.