Coronavirus: Hong Kong to give struggling businesses ‘more than HK$30 billion’ in financial relief as tally hits 935

Fresh round of help comes as government prepares to extend social-distancing measures and keep schools shut till at least end of May, sources say

All arrivals will be required to undergo testing at expo centre as city records another 21 new cases

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A police officer patrols a park in Yau Ma Tei where elderly men have gathered to play chess amid the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 5:09pm, 7 Apr 2020Updated: 3:45am, 8 Apr 2020

Hong Kong businesses struggling to survive the coronavirus crisis will be offered a relief package of more than HK$30 billion to be unveiled on Wednesday, the Post has learned, with a portion helping to cover salaries of workers at risk of losing their jobs.

The latest financial lifeline comes as the government plans to keep schools closed until at least the end of May and extend social-distancing rules, according to two sources, in an attempt to contain the contagion that has infected 935 people in the city so far, with 21 new cases recorded on Tuesday.

A society cannot stand extreme forms of measures against the virus in the long term

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong chief executive

Speaking ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said many industry representatives had told her ensuring job security was critical and government help was needed to keep staff employed.

“I am happy to see that stakeholders from all sectors – including employers, staff and commerce representatives – all had a consensus that the government should take reference from overseas experience to assist bosses directly so as to keep the jobs of their workers,” Lam said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam addresses the media on Tuesday. Photo: Robert Ng

Earlier she warned that authorities would not hesitate to take stricter measures to enforce social distancing if verbal warnings did not work and more than four people continued to gather in public places. She said the government would try to strike a balance between achieving proper physical space between residents, protecting the economy and ensuring the normal functioning of society, when deciding the containment strategy.