Hong Kong will ease more of its social distancing measures this week, with higher secondary school students resuming classes as the coronavirus pandemic stabilises.

Karaoke lounges, bathhouses, nightclubs and party rooms, which were forced to close from early last month, can reopen on Friday.

Transit services at the Hong Kong International Airport, suspended since last month, will start resuming gradually from June 1, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced yesterday, ahead of a weekly meeting.

"The epidemic has eased," Mrs Lam said. "We are resuming daily activities in society and the economy step by step."

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong stood at 1,065 as of yesterday. So far, 1,033 cases have been discharged, while four people have died.

From today, Secondary 3 to Secondary 5 students will be back in class. Younger schoolchildren from Primary 4 to Secondary 2 will resume classes on June 8, and those from Kindergarten 3 to Primary 3 on June 15.

Students and staff who have fever are not allowed to return to school.

Everyone has to wear masks on school premises as far as possible, and students are to be spaced 1m apart, whether they are queueing for the toilet or sitting in class.

At the start of the month, Education Bureau chief Kevin Yeung had expressed confidence that classes could resume in phases from today.

Hong Kong schools had remained shut since the Chinese New Year holidays in January.

"International schools have a different school setting, as well as learning and teaching arrangements, and are allowed to tailor their own class resumption timetable, as long as the necessary preventive measures are met," said Mr Yeung in an open letter to the public on Sunday.

A number of leisure venues such as gyms, bars, cinemas and gaming centres were allowed to reopen from May 8, although measures such as compulsory mask wearing and keeping patrons apart by a minimum distance still apply.

The ban on public gatherings of more than eight people remains until June 4, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, when annual vigils are held.