Rugby Sevens A Covid Test For HK: Regina Ip

Executive Council convenor Regina Ip on Friday said officials should consider relaxing Covid measures if there isn't a big increase in infection numbers after this weekend's Rugby Sevens.

At a forum, Ip said the tournament will be a test for the SAR, as many spectators will be eating and drinking at the venue.

"If we are able to pass this challenge of the Rugby Sevens tournament, with 26,000 spectators at the three-day event and bars operating until very late... if case numbers don't show a huge increase, I believe Hong Kong can further open up conditionally," Ip said.

Meanwhile, a Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) survey suggests most people in Hong Kong want the government to relax anti-epidemic measures.

Almost 70 percent of some 700 people interviewed by phone in September and October said they would like to see Covid rules eased, with 20 percent saying the current measures should remain in place and about five percent hoping for even stricter rules.

The CUHK researchers said there is a significant increase in the percentage of people supporting the idea of a relaxation of pandemic measures compared to a similar survey carried out in the same period last year.