Covid-19: no more wage subsidies for businesses, Hong Kong’s No 2 says, even as unemployment woes rise and city confirms 13 new infections

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung warns worst is yet to come, but government spending already stretched in two tranches of wage aid

Number of daily infections jumps to 13 after just three emerge the day before

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People wear masks in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. The city is still trying to snuff out a third wave of Covid-19 infections. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 12:26pm, 19 Sep 2020Updated: 10:24pm, 19 Sep 2020

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has warned there will be no further wage subsidies for businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic even as unemployment woes deepen and the city confirming 13 more infections on Saturday.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said two tranches of wage subsidies under the Employment Support Scheme (ESS) had already stretched government spending but managed to keep the joblessness rate at 6.1 per cent.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung. Photo: May Tse

Warning that the worst of unemployment woes had yet to come, Cheung said other forms of government assistance would focus on industries most battered by Covid-19 on the back of more than HK$300 billion (US$38.7 billion) in packages already rolled out amid the economic slump.

“The relief measures are more focused and targeted in the latest round,” he said. “We are pressing ahead with the flagship item – ESS.”

The 13 new infections, coming after just three the day before, pushed to city’s tally to 5,009, with 103 related deaths.

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