HOG KONG — Live performances at entertainment venues could restart from next week’s Mid-Autumn Festival but other social-distancing measures would remain in place, as Hong Kong authorities confirmed three new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday (Sept 23).

The announcement will come as a relief to the coronavirus-stricken industry, but the new rules also require adequate spacing or partitions between performers and the audience.

Only half of the seats at most can be sold, and no more than four adjoining seats in a row will be allowed.

Another tweak of the rules includes allowing public bowling alleys and snooker halls to open all their lanes and tables, if they are able to ensure adequate distancing or partitioning between those facilities.

The city’s leader, Mrs Carrie Lam, on Tuesday announced that most social-distancing measures, including limiting the number of people allowed to eat out together or gather in public to four, would remain in place until Oct 1, the date of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.

Most leisure venues, such as karaoke lounges, bars, and theme parks, were allowed to reopen last Friday, subject to conditions to curb the virus’ spread.

Wednesday’s Covid-19 infections involved a returnee from Britain and two locally transmitted cases linked to other patients.

These mark a third straight day of single-digit increases, after a slight rebound to 23 cases on Sunday.

But with the number of imported infections remaining high, authorities are under pressure to classify some European nations as high-risk in a bid to crack down on the virus being brought into the city.

Eight infections were recorded on Tuesday, with five of them imported. The city has maintained its trend of declining coronavirus infections in recent weeks, down from more than 100 a day at one point in July, but the number of imported cases remains high.

Of the 236 cases confirmed in September so far, 99, or 41 per cent, were imported. But the situation got worse over the past week, with 63 per cent of cases involving people returning from overseas.

On Tuesday, public health expert Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, who advises the government on the coronavirus, called for travellers from countries such as Britain, France, Spain, and Russia, to be required to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test result, and hotel bookings for not less than 14 days, before boarding their flights.

Those returning from other destinations simply face a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Mrs Lam said a review was under way. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST