Explainer | Going for a night out? What you need to know about Hong Kong’s new Covid rapid-test rule for bars and clubs
- The Post answers questions on authenticity of test results and authorities’ latest regulations
- Health chief Sophia Chan has insisted the new, unpopular measure will protect the public after a string of infections linked to bars
Hong Kong bar-goers will have to show photos of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result taken in the previous 24 hours before entry to licensed premises from Thursday.
But industry representatives have been up in arms over the new rule for pubs, clubs and restaurants with bar areas. Some claimed the guidelines were unclear for operators and that customers put off by the regulation had cancelled reservations.
The Post answers questions over the requirement:
Why are bars and clubs targeted?
Several Covid-19 clusters have been connected to such venues since late May, with at least six premises reporting about 350 infections.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Tuesday that the authorities were worried customers and operators had violated pandemic rules. Some staff have also breached rules requiring submission of RAT results, the use of masks and vaccine pass usage.
Chan insisted the measure would “allow better control of risks related to the transmission of the virus”.
University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung said the six bar clusters accounted for about 3 per cent of all confirmed cases in the city in the same period.
Will these be the only places subject to the new regulation?
No. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department says the new rules will also be in force for bar sections on catering premises. Customers will also need to present proof of a negative RAT result taken inside 24 hours before they enter. Operators of restaurants with bar areas will be asked to put up a notice and floor plan that shows the affected areas.
Customers in other sections of the restaurants will not have to comply with the new measure.
How can operators ensure authenticity of the test results?
Customers will have to write their names and the date and time of the RAT test on the kit before taking a photo of the result with their phone. The image must be presented to venue staff before entry is allowed.
Authorities said it would be up to law enforcement officers to decide if a result was invalid. They added operators should not be concerned if they had enforced all measures to comply with the requirements.
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Why not conduct RAT on the premises?
On-the-spot RAT tests are not allowed to avoid transmission risks.
Representatives from the pro-establishment Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party suggested on Wednesday that authorities should follow Singapore and set up test stations in nightlife districts.
They added that customers should be allowed to show polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results taken inside 24 hours if they did not want to undergo RATs.
Ricky Chiu Yin-to, an adjunct associate professor at Chinese University’s school of biomedical sciences, proposed setting up mobile testing trucks in designated areas away from bars and pubs to ensure customers were properly screened and to prevent them from submitting false results.
What are the consequences of entry without observing the rules?
Customers who fail to comply with the rules may get a fixed-penalty notice. Operators who are found to not have checked customers’ test results will be suspended for 14 days.
Customers and staff who provide false information face a fixed penalty of HK$5,000 (US$636) under regulations for the prevention and control of disease in businesses.
Failure by managers of a business to comply with the rules could lead to a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and six months in jail.
