People in Hong Kong no longer have to use the LeaveHomeSafe app to scan QR codes, while the amber health code restrictions on incoming travellers have been lifted. Quarantine wristbands for Covid patients are also out, while PCR tests have been scaled back. The changes were announced on Tuesday by the Chief Executive John Lee, but fleshed out later by his health secretary. Damon Pang reports:

An infectious disease specialist says the easing of pandemic measures will not worsen the Covid situation in Hong Kong. Dr Leung Chi-chiu told Ada Au that the public should not be concerned about a rise in cases:

Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman, Allan Zeman, says he is "overjoyed" at the latest easing of Covid restrictions, hailing it as great news for businesses and everyone. He said he supported maintaining the vaccine pass for high-risk venues, such as restaurants, to ensure that people get vaccinated. But Zeman told Ben Tse that the measures would probably be too late to see a boost in tourism over Christmas, as people would have already made their travel plans:

The chair of Hong Kong's largest political party says she hopes the latest easing of Covid measures sends a strong signal to the central government and mainland society that Hong Kong is ready for a gradual re-opening of the border. But Starry Lee from the DAB said she was doubtful that quarantine-free travel with the mainland could fully resume by the Lunar New Year in January. Lee also said the mask mandate should be dropped as a last measure, as it helps prevent the spread of viruses, not only Covid. She also supported keeping the daily rapid Covid testing of students and teachers. Lee spoke to Vicky Wong:

The Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council, Fanny Yeung, says while the scrapping of amber code restrictions on arrivals is welcome, tourism is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until there is full resumption of travel with the mainland. Yeung said she expected a few thousand more visitors over the Christmas holidays under the new measures. But she told Kelly Yu that more Covid curbs should be relaxed in order to revive the travel industry:

The Associate Dean of the Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Haiyan Song, says the lifting of the amber code restrictions is long overdue. He told Ada Au that scrapping the health code for arrivals would bring in more tourists in the upcoming holiday season:

The head of the Pirata Group, which owns 27 restaurants in Hong Kong, described the latest easing of Covid measures as another step closer to the SAR being "over and done" with the pandemic. CEO Steen Puggaard told Joanne Wong that, in turn, it would benefit the catering industry:

An economist says he thinks the latest easing of pandemic measures will spur optimism that Hong Kong is reopening but will not be much of a boost to economic growth just yet. Standard Chartered's senior economist for Greater China, Kelvin Lau, told Joanne Wong that he expected recovery of the SAR's economy to remain slow as Covid measures were relaxed gradually, both here and on the mainland:

Chief Executive John Lee says officials will again contact Google, after the internet company refused to make sure the correct national anthem for the SAR appears as the top result on its search engine. That came a day after the Secretary for Security said authorities would use whatever means possible to correct the search results. Lee said the tech giant would make the changes necessary if it were a responsible company. Vanessa Cheng reports:

The national security trial of Jimmy Lai has been adjourned until next September, pending a possible ruling by Beijing on whether the British barrister he has chosen can represent him in the case. The decision to postpone the trial for a second time was made at a High Court hearing. Frank Yung reports:

A new study suggests the vast majority of women here do not consume enough fruit and vegetables to meet local health guidelines, and researchers are warning this could end up affecting the immune systems of their children. Of 90 lactating women surveyed in the Polytechnic University study, only four percent ate the suggested two servings of fruit, and three servings of vegetables a day. Unsurprisingly, those who consumed more fruit and vegetables had higher levels of beneficial carotenoids in their breast-milk. Researcher Wong Man-sau told Vanessa Cheng that these compounds were crucial in the physical development of infants:

The head of the International Monetary Fund says a lower growth forecast is "very likely" for China this year and next, with easing Covid restrictions expected to bring a surge in infections. Kristalina Georgieva had warned in November of a possible downgrade in China's GDP forecast. She said the easing of restrictions was going to create some difficulties over the next months. Samantha Butler reports:

Nanjing observed a minute's silence on Tuesday as it led the nation in remembering the 300,000 people massacred in the city by the Imperial Japanese Army 85 years ago. Thousands of people attended the ceremony in Nanjing, despite the cold. White flowers were pinned to their chests as the national flag flew at half-mast. Aaron Tam reports: