Crowd Control Leaves Some Book Lovers In A Bind

Book lovers who rushed to libraries which reopened on Wednesday found themselves in a bind as new crowd control measures kept some waiting for over an hour to get in.

Under eased social distancing measures, libraries will open from 1pm to 8pm. A quota was in force, and visitors could stay for up to an hour.

At Ping Shan Library, for example, about 200 people were allowed in at a time. People had to first get their hands on a token, which was only released after all those from the previous group had left.

This left dozens queuing up for entry tickets for time slots that were over an hour away.

One man said he arrived at Central Library at 13.30pm, but tickets for the next slot at 14:15pm were all gone by then. So he had to queue for the next slot, which was two hours after his arrival.

Karen, a recruiter who arrived a little bit later, also had to wait in line for an hour to get an entry ticket.

"That's a very long waiting time but I think it makes sense because they're trying to be safe as well, so I think it's okay,“ she said.

Natalie, a primary six student who had come with her mum to read Chinese wuxia novels, was also prepared for a wait.

"I was unhappy because I was really bored at home and I couldn't read books during the last few months,” she said.

Venues like museums and sports centres also reopened on Wednesday. But at the Heritage Museum in Shatin, not many visitors turned up.

Crowd control arrangements were in place there too, while interactive exhibits and public activities remained suspended.

Outdoor sporting facilities, like running tracks, cycling facilities, badminton courts, tennis courts and table tennis tables have also re-opened.

But football pitches, basketball courts and children's play areas are still closed until further notice.