Coronavirus: looming change in social-distancing measures puts Hong Kong restaurant and retail leaders on edge

Food and health chief Sophia Chan says ‘we must stop people’s activities’ to halt silent Omicron transmission chains

Further reduction in number of diners per table at eateries could see businesses struggling to survive, according to restaurant federation leader

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Health minister Sophia Chan has said the flow of people must be halted to combat the fifth wave of the coronavirus. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 7:30am, 6 Feb 2022Updated: 5:33pm, 6 Feb 2022

Hong Kong’s business leaders are worried about the possibility of more stringent social-distancing rules being unveiled on Tuesday to better contain the Covid-19 pandemic, as further curbs could hurt restaurants and retailers as well as lead to a rise in unemployment.

The city has already shut 15 types of venues such as gyms, beauty parlours, bars, nightclubs and karaoke rooms since January 7, but health authorities are preparing to impose even tighter curbs to cope with record-breaking daily infection numbers.

Hong Kong reported another 342 Covid-19 infections on Sunday, marking the second day in a row the number of cases has surpassed 300.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said limiting people’s activities was important to halt silent transmission chains of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“Social-distancing measures or tightening [the rules] are important to cut [the flow of people],” Chan said at a press conference on Saturday. “We must cut down the flow of people. We must stop people’s activities and we must work from home.”

The existing curbs already cover the closure of theme parks, museums, party rooms, swimming pools, bathhouses, game centres, sports premises, event and performance venues, cinemas, Chinese-style gambling establishments for mahjong and tin kau. Face-to-face classes have also been suspended and restaurants are not allowed to have dine-in patrons after 6pm.