Hong Kong's anti-Covid restrictions were scaled back on Thursday with the mask mandate lifted for those playing sport outdoors, beaches reopening, and the maximum number of people allowed to sit together in restaurants rising to eight.

At Victoria Park, people said they were happy they no longer needed to put on a mask when exercising.

"You can take off your mask when you eat at restaurants, right? So for an open area like this, the air flow won't be too bad. It's only right for them to relax this [mask rule]," a runner told RTHK.

A man playing basketball said it was suffocating to play with a mask on and a lot more comfortable without one.

At Repulse Bay Beach, a woman said she was glad to be able to go swimming again. She said she has had surgery on her knee and swimming helps her recovery.

"I felt I didn't walk as well when the beaches were closed," she said.

Meanwhile, customers at a restaurant in Mong Kok said they hadn't seen such big crowds there for some time.

"We are very happy. We had been in hiding for so long, we were sick of it. Coming out today is great, we can relax a bit, meet family and friends," one woman told RTHK.

The restaurant's manager said he thinks with the latest relaxation of rules, business at night will increase by some 60 percent, and people have already made bookings this coming weekend to celebrate Mother's Day.