Hong Kong’s K11 Musea moves to evict restaurant after Covid-19 outbreak; city confirms 13 new infections

The announcement follows IT minister revealing the ‘Leave Home Safe’ app had been used to notify shoppers at the mall’s other stores about need for testing

But one health expert has questioned the app’s value, saying it should be replaced with a version that automatically tracks users’ movements

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Mr Ming’s Chinese Dining at the K11 Musea shopping centre, site of a Covid-19 cluster, is expected to lose its tenancy agreement. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 1:56pm, 2 Mar 2021Updated: 4:49am, 3 Mar 2021

An upscale Hong Kong shopping centre has moved to end its tenancy agreement with a Chinese restaurant at the centre of a recent coronavirus outbreak, while the city confirmed 13 new infections on Tuesday.

Seven of the latest infections were locally transmitted, including four from untraceable sources. Of the six imported cases, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates each accounted for two.

More than 10 preliminary-positive infections were recorded, including at least nine that could not be traced. Among them was a 23-year-old saleswoman at a fitness centre in Central who had visited a bar in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area.

The planned ousting of Mr Ming’s Chinese Dining from Tsim Sha Tsui’s K11 Musea came as the cluster connected to the eatery had grown to 49 people as of Tuesday.

“The amount of fresh air supply inside Mr Ming’s Chinese Dining was below its licence requirement. We looked into the matter seriously and have decided to terminate the tenancy agreement with the restaurant,” a K11 Musea spokeswoman said on Tuesday afternoon.

A day earlier, government pandemic adviser Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the restaurant’s fresh air supply was only a third of the expected amount.