Coronavirus: Hong Kong businesses say easing of ‘vaccine bubble’, quarantine rules too conservative, too late
- Hotel sector fears losses if vaccinated guests who have booked 14-day quarantine stays test positive for antibodies and can leave early
- Restaurant operators welcome eased rules, but some question if businesses will bother with changes emerging every few weeks to an already complicated system
While the commerce sector welcomed another flagship policy on Monday to halve quarantine lengths for fully vaccinated travellers testing positive for antibodies, the hospitality industry voiced worries of losses if guests were allowed to leave isolation early.
With the city on a two-week streak of no local infections, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor revealed that a raft of social-distancing measures would be relaxed from Thursday, mostly centred on “vaccine bubble” conditions for two of four operation types for businesses.
Restaurants currently classified as type C, where staff have received at least one vaccine dose and all customers have to use the government’s “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app, can operate at 75 per cent seating capacity, up from the current 50 per cent.
There will be no rule relaxation for type A and B operations that do not require vaccination for either staff or customers, with the maximum number of patrons per table still capped at two and four respectively.