Special measures being looked at to help businesses tackle insurance problems amid ongoing protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says
- Chief executive attended business community lunch and was grilled about help for sector
- Bosses have complained about red tape and the long process required to secure various government funds
Retailer Joe Chui, 34, complained that his chain of grocery shops had been hit hard by police’s use of tear gas.
“Our staff are suffering from tear gas every day. And as soon as the government declares a riot, our insurance is invalidated,” he said. “One of our landlords asked us to buy an additional HK$10 million of insurance to protect the landlord’s interests. Is the government going to underwrite this because as soon as we have no insurance, we cannot legally operate?”
He warned that many retailers would have to close down soon if the government failed to act quickly. Chui grumbled about red tape and the long process required to secure various government funds, saying: “It takes six or 12 months but most retail rental contracts are for two years only … You’ve got a lot of schemes, but money doesn’t get to us.”
Lam said she was aware of the insurance problem as a business chamber had written to her about the issue.