Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s workers have lunch in parks, construction sites, as dine-in ban kicks in amid third wave
- Some workers find new regulation ‘unreasonable’, while others say they are willing to adjust for sake of public health
- Facing backlash, the government says it will open heat shelters in the city’s 18 districts between 11am and 3pm from Thursday for people to have lunch
Workers braved the rain and heat while having lunch outdoors, with some blaming the government for being “unreasonable”, as Hong Kong’s sweeping ban on dine-in services kicked in on Wednesday amid the third wave of Covid-19.
Facing backlash, the government said on Wednesday evening that it would open at least one heat shelter in each of Hong Kong’s 18 districts between 11am and 3pm from Thursday for people to have lunch.
Authorities have implemented the strictest measures to date in a bid to contain the surge in coronavirus infections, including capping gatherings to no more than two people except for those from a same family, and requiring mask-wearing in all public areas.
The new regulations are set to last a week. Restaurants were earlier banned from offering dine-in services between 6pm and 5am.
“It’s inconvenient but we have no choice because of Covid-19. Normally we’d go to a nearby eatery during lunch to sit down, relax, and cool down in the air-conditioned space,” said a 40-year-old construction worker surnamed Chan.
Although some tables with partitions had been set up inside a construction site in Causeway Bay, Chan chose to not have his lunch there.