Reopening businesses to observe Covid rules

Businesses shuttered during the fifth wave of the pandemic have been preparing to reopen on Thursday, since they were forced to close from January.

Venues such as gyms cinemas and beauty parlours will still have to observe rules, such as mask-wearing, the vaccine mandate and social distancing.

A boutique fitness operator says they are adopting an additional measure to ensure they will not operate at maximum capacity even during peak hours.

Tricia Yap said studios running personal training classes would be less affected, but gyms that solely operate group classes have been and will continue to be hit.

“What used to be a 12- to 15-person class, maybe 20, would now be restricted to four, including an instructor.”

Ms Yap, the co-founder of the Hong Kong Alliance of Boutique Fitness Operators, also said many people had shut their businesses or re-located elsewhere in Asia.

“I think that there are two reasons of closure, one is financial. The other is that certain operators have just said that Hong Kong is no longer a viable city for business anymore,” she said.

Last month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the number of people leaving the SAR cannot accurately reflect the level of confidence they have in the territory as an international hub.

Mrs Lam added that she places great emphasis on the international status of Hong Kong.