Editorial | Coronavirus outbreak no excuse for discrimination
- Banning of mainlanders by some restaurants in Hong Kong is to be condemned at a time that calls for tolerance and compassion, not bias and hostility
Getting a table in a local eatery used to be easy until last year when the extradition bill row prompted some restaurants and shops to only serve customers who supported the protest movement – the so-called yellow economic circle.
The divide deepened further as the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan spread across the border, with mainland visitors not being welcome. While reducing cross-border contact may help curb the outbreak, a total ban on mainland customers by some outlets has clearly gone too far.
There have always been individual cases of discrimination against mainlanders. During the social unrest last year, a restaurant that supported protesters said it would not serve Mandarin speakers.
Regrettably, it was not an isolated case. If a study by the Society for Community Organisation late last month is any reference, more than 100 restaurants have posted messages online or notices at their premises saying they will only serve local people.
When investigators from the group posed as Mandarin-speaking customers at 13 eateries, they were turned away by five.