Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor meets the media at the Central Government Office on Feb 9, 2021. (CALVIN NG / CHINADAILY)

The government would consider the gradual resumption of schools and the reopening of certain leisure venues after the Chinese New Year if the pandemic situation continues to ease, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday.

Lam said ahead of an Executive Council meeting that the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections  significantly eased recently, citing the decline in the number of both new and untraceable cases.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said ahead of an Executive Council meeting that the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections  significantly eased recently, citing the decline in the number of both new and untraceable cases

Hong Kong logged about 26 new infections a day over the past week and fewer than seven of them were untraceable, she said.

She also noted that fewer sewage samples from residential buildings tested positive  for COVID-19, and the reproductive rate of the virus carried by local patients also decreased from 3 during the peak of the pandemic to the current 0.6.

If the situation continues to improve after the CNY holiday, members of the public could gradually resume their normal daily activities, Lam said. 

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She said the priority is to get students back to school, adding the Education Bureau is discussing safety measures with school officials.

The government will also consider reopening some leisure venues closed due to social-distancing measures in response to appeals from industry leaders, Lam said.

She added that, "barring unforeseeable circumstances," the government will not conduct targeted tetsing operations during the Chinese New Year holidays. 

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