Hong Kong’s existing social rules to stay in place till 13 July 2022

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Mask-wearing requirements, group restrictions, LeaveHomeSafe, and the Vaccine Pass arrangements all continue; bar-goers are still required to test negative before entry.

In regard to the continuous upward trend of the number of daily new cases and infection clusters, the Hong Kong government announced on 27 June 2022 (Monday) extension of the existing social distancing measures for 14 days, which will be effective from 30 June to 13 July 2022.

Specific measures include:

Catering business

• Apart from specific premises, the dine-in service hours allowed for catering premises continue from 5am to 11.59pm every day; 
• The maximum number of persons per table for catering premises will be eight, and banquets with no more than 120 persons will be allowed;
• Bars/pubs may open every day from 5am to 1.59am of the subsequent day with a maximum number of four persons per table and the total number of patrons capped at 75% of their capacity;
• All patrons of bars, pubs, clubs and nightclubs, as well as those who enter the bar/pub zone inside a catering premises, must continue to present proof of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result obtained within 24 hours before entering the relevant premises or zone, otherwise they should be denied entry;
• Live performance and dancing activity will remain prohibited in catering premises, bars, pubs, clubs and nightclubs;
• Other requirements and restrictions on catering premises and bars/pubs will continue to remain in force, including:
  • All patrons must not consume food or drink and must wear a mask when they are away from the table;
  • All patrons must scan the LeaveHomeSafe venue QR code using the LeaveHomeSafe mobile application on their mobile phones/other mobile devices before entering the premises (excluding persons who only order takeaway);
  • Must fulfill the relevant requirements on the Vaccine Pass;
  • Operators of catering premises and bars/pubs are required to use the latest 'QR Code Verification Scanner' mobile application provided by the government to scan the QR code of a patron's vaccination record, medical exemption certificate or recovery record.

Scheduled premises

• Managers of the following scheduled premises must comply with the relevant restrictions under Cap. 599F, including fulfilling the relevant requirements on LeaveHomeSafe and the Vaccine Pass:
  • swimming pools;
  • sports premises;
  • fitness centres;
  • beauty parlours and massage establishments;
  • places of public entertainment;
  • places of amusement;
  • amusement game centres;
  • event premises;
  • religious premises;
  • barber shops/hair salons;
  • bathhouses;
  • party rooms;
  • clubs/nightclubs;
  • karaoke establishments;
  • mahjong/tin kau premises; and
  • cruise ships.
• Staff members and patrons alike must wear a mask at all times save for the exempted circumstances;
• Citizens are allowed not to wear masks when they are exercising in sports premises as well as fitness centres which meet the requirement on air change;
• The manager/person-in-charge for shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and markets must continue to comply with the "passive checking" requirements on LeaveHomeSafe and the Vaccine Pass.
• The restriction on the number of persons allowed in premises such as cinemas, performance venues, museums, event premises and religious premises etc. will remain at 85% of their capacity. Patrons may eat and drink in cinema houses.

Mandatory mask-wearing requirement extends

• A person must wear a mask all the time when the person is boarding or on board a public transport carrier, is entering or present in an MTR paid area, or is entering or present in a specified public place;
• Citizens are allowed not to wear masks if they are present in outdoor public places in country parks and special areas, or conducting strenuous physical activity (e.g. exercising or jogging) in outdoor public places;
• If a person does not wear a mask in accordance with the requirement, an authorised person may deny that person from boarding a public transport carrier or entering the area concerned, as well as require that person to wear a mask and disembark from the carrier or leave the said area. A person in contravention of the relevant provision commits an offence and the maximum penalty is a fine of HK$10,000;
• Authorised public officers may issue penalty notices to persons who do not wear a mask in accordance with the requirement and such persons may discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty at HK$5,000.

Restrictions on group gatherings

• Unless exempted, group gatherings of more than four persons in public places will remain prohibited. The requirement is also applicable to group gatherings in catering premises, bars/pubs and scheduled premises regulated under Cap. 599F in which the relevant requirements or restrictions are not complied with;
• Local group tours with no more than 30 persons may continue to be conducted subject to relevant requirements:
  • Relevant staff has received three doses of vaccine, and conducted a RAT on the same day before the commencement of local group tour activities;
  • All tour participants have fulfilled the prevailing Vaccine Pass requirements;
  • If all tour participants have conducted RAT on the same day before the commencement of local group tour activities, the relevant restriction on the number of participants will be relaxed to 100 persons.
• Any person who participates in a prohibited group gathering; organises a prohibited group gathering; owns, controls or operates the place of such a gathering; and knowingly allows the taking place of such gathering commits an offence under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G). Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of HK$25,000 and imprisonment for six months. Persons who participate in a prohibited group gathering may discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty at HK$5,000.

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