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Hong Kongers relish beaches reopening as virus outbreak recedes
by AFP Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) May 5, 2022

From lockdown to wedlock: Shanghai couple defy Covid woes to marry
Shanghai (AFP) May 6, 2022 - A couple in Shanghai have beaten Covid lockdowns and bureaucracy to tie the knot, celebrating their marriage in the car park of their housing compound after a ceremony officiated via Zoom from the United States.

With the "Bridal Chorus" on speaker, a smattering of socially distanced friends and an immaculate white dress complete with blue surgical mask, bride Janelle Nuyts walked down the aisle followed by an official in a hazmat suit who disinfected the ground around her.

Shanghai's weeks-long lockdown has brought the business hub of 25 million people to a halt as China sticks with its zero-Covid policy.

But an easing of the rules in recent weeks has allowed some residents out of their homes, although mostly within the confines of their housing developments.

Groom Matthew Mitchener, 35, said he initially had doubts about a lockdown wedding but they melted away Saturday when he caught sight of his bride in a figure-hugging wedding dress highlighting her five-month baby bump.

"It was all a little surreal," the Australian said, beaming, as neighbours threw rice around for good luck and cheered.

After a month stuck at home, the couple had their wedding officiated online by a US celebrant, with friends and family as witnesses, before they headed to the car park of their compound for a small celebration.

A ban on marriage between foreigners in China in place since 2019 prevented the pair from using a Chinese official, and the option to tie the knot at one of their embassies was not available.

The car park celebration had only been decided on a day before, when the couple's neighbours suggested they hold a reception party there after an easing of restrictions made it possible.

"It kind of snowballed," said Mitchener. "The next thing we knew, we had a wedding dress arrive from our friend, and a wedding cake, a bouquet of flowers."

"Once I put the dress on, everything changed," the 33-year-old Nuyts added.

The pair decided in March to have their wedding officiated online after discovering they were expecting a baby.

"It was beyond our expectations," said Nuyts of the big day.

"We didn't really expect it was going to be so romantic."

Filipino domestic worker Marites Saliganan loves getting outdoors on her one day off a week, and after Hong Kong's government lifted a pandemic ban on gathering at beaches on Thursday, she and her friends headed for the sand.

Nestled on the southern side of Hong Kong's main island, the wealthy town of Stanley offers a welcome respite from the city with its low-rise houses and seaside eateries.

But anyone venturing onto the beach in the last seven weeks faced hefty fines, as the city imposed its strictest social distancing measures yet to curb a virus outbreak earlier this year.

"We are so happy because today is the day of reopening the beach," Saliganan, sporting a wide-brimmed hat, told AFP.

While much of the world began adjusting to living with the coronavirus, Hong Kong has gone in the opposite direction, hewing to a lighter version of China's zero-Covid strategy.

A wave of the highly transmissible Omicron variant began tearing through the city's defences in January.

It killed more than 9,000, mostly unvaccinated elderly people, and forced the reimposition of painful social distancing curbs that have plunged Hong Kong towards another economic recession.

Playgrounds and park benches were taped up, swimming pools closed and groups of police patrolled the open spaces, issuing fines to those caught breaching the rules.

- Gradual easing -

In recent weeks, some of the restrictions have eased, including a ban on evening dining inside restaurants and the reopening of businesses like gyms and cinemas.

On Thursday, authorities reopened beaches and allowed people to exercise outdoors without masks for the first time in months.

Bars and nightclubs remain closed but are set to reopen soon.

Under the latest rules, eight people can now dine at a restaurant but no more than four people can gather in a public place and mask wearing remains mandatory outdoors.

A 70-year-old resident who gave his surname as Choi was one of a handful of elderly swimmers to flock back to Deep Water Bay.

"I was stuck at home, phoning friends, watching dramas," he told AFP.

"I can see my friends again, they are all like brothers to me. We have been swimming here for decades," he added.

Another swimmer, surnamed Ho, 85, said he found the closure of the beaches baffling.

"There's no reason to lockdown beaches, there are so few people that were infected from being on beaches," he said.

- Domestic workers hit hard -

The curbs on outdoor gatherings hit Hong Kong's 370,000 foreign domestic workers especially hard.

The vast majority are women from the Philippines and Indonesia who cook, clean and care for Hong Kong families, living alongside their employers in the city's notoriously small apartments.

They are only entitled one day off a week and many tended to gather in parks and beaches.

During the pandemic, police frequently patrolled areas where domestic workers would gather, issuing spot fines that could cost them up to a month's salary.

With the beaches closed, Salignan said she and her friends had no outlets for recreation, particularly with strict police monitoring.

"This affected mental health," she said.

But now, she and her friends are just pleased to be outdoors again.

"We are so very, very happy to celebrate the birthday of my friend," she said throwing her arms in the air.

"Party!"


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Beijing closed dozens of subway stations and expanded Covid restrictions Wednesday, constricting movement around the Chinese capital despite logging only dozens of daily cases. China has been battling its worst coronavirus flare-up since the early days of the pandemic, with most cases found in the business hub of Shanghai. Scenes of chaos and anger at weeks of stay-at-home orders in Shanghai have alarmed people in the capital, who fear their city may be next. On Wednesday Beijing reported 51 ... read more

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