Vaccine pass already hurting business at struggling Hong Kong restaurants just hours after launch, industry representative says
- Chief of catering industry body says business at his restaurant group was down 40 per cent in the wake of the scheme’s introduction
- One restaurant in Causeway Bay said only half the usual number of diners showed up on Thursday morning, but those that did had no problem using the vaccine pass
The launch of the government’s vaccine pass scheme has proved to be yet another blow to Hong Kong’s already struggling restaurants, with one industry representative reporting an immediate drop in revenue and patrons being turned away for failing to comply with the new rules.
Ray Chui Man-wai, chairman of Kam Kee Holdings, which operates 44 restaurants, said his group’s business was already down by 40 per cent following the scheme’s introduction on Thursday morning, blaming the vaccine pass and a newly lowered cap on the number of diners per table for dampening people’s desire to eat out.
“There are quite a number of diners who still don’t know how to use the vaccine pass. They think they only need to scan their ‘Leave Home Safe’ app, but in fact they need to scan their vaccination record separately,” he said. “Our staff need to assist them one by one.”
Residents must also register their visit on the government’s “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app.
Chui, who is also the chairman of the industry group Institute of Dining Art, said about 10 per cent of would-be diners on Thursday morning had been barred from entering restaurants as they had forgotten to upload their vaccination record to “Leave Home Safe”.
“Most of them were elderly people,” he said. “They had no idea that they needed to save their vaccination records in their app, and felt very frustrated.”
In Causeway Bay, restaurants, supermarkets and wet markets were unusually subdued on Thursday morning, with patrons few and far between.
At Wealthy Garden, a Chinese restaurant in the area, only half the usual number of customers showed up for breakfast, according to an employee who declined to be named.
“That means that we might lose 50 per cent of the revenue,” she said, adding that the restaurant was popular with seniors, many of whom still had not been vaccinated – though she noted the cold weather could have also played a part.
Rather than the large, chatty groups commonly seen at dim sum brunches, the restaurant’s 20 or so customers were spread out in quiet ones and twos to comply with social-distancing rules. Many were still wearing protective gear, such as double masks and eye protection.
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Wang, an 82-year-old housewife, was frustrated after being denied entry to a supermarket on Thursday.
“I can’t go anywhere without the vaccine pass now,” she said.
Though her son previously helped her install the “Leave Home Safe” app, Wang was not aware it was now needed to get into supermarkets, and had left her phone at home.
Wang said she had not yet been vaccinated, and was worried not only about catching the virus, but also being barred from the places where she shopped for food.
“I didn’t have a clear answer from my doctor about whether I am fit for vaccination due to my chronic conditions,” she said.
Those with a valid medical excuse for not being jabbed are exempt from using the vaccine pass, but they must provide a doctor’s certificate.
All venue employees must also be fully inoculated as part of the scheme, though they can also claim a medical exemption with a doctor’s certificate.
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Although checking of vaccination records at shopping centres was passive, some residents still needed help.
A 73-year-old woman who called herself Yip sought help from Apple store staff in Causeway Bay to upload her vaccination record to her smartphone from a hard copy. “I wish my son was here,” Yip said.
At Harbour City mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, shopper Phoebe Chan said she took her first jab on Wednesday to fulfil vaccine pass requirements.
“The government should spend more effort controlling the pandemic, instead of controlling our normal lives,” said Chan, a 22-year-old university student.
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Residents can either present their paper vaccine certificate or upload an electronic one to “Leave Home Safe” or other government apps to create a QR code as proof of inoculation. “Leave Home Safe” is required for entering restaurants.
Data stored by the app is encrypted and will automatically be erased after 31 days.
Machines installed at restaurants to scan QR codes will notify staff with various sound alerts as to whether a patron’s inoculation or exemption record is valid.
Exceptions to the scheme will include entering a venue to buy takeaway or retrieve belongings, getting tested or vaccinated, attending government, legal or medical appointments, or commuting home or to work.
Certain premises, such as restaurants and clubhouses, will also require staff to actively check patrons’ inoculation or exemption records, while customers must scan a QR code before entering.
Venues such as malls, supermarkets, department stores and wet markets will only be subject to passive checks – consisting of providing vaccination records when asked by law enforcement officers.
However, a Cantonese restaurant with more than 60 years of business on Tuesday said it would close its doors for two weeks from Thursday, as it could not complete preparations for the vaccine pass on time.
“No vaccination, no business, no life,” said Alan Yan Cheuk-lun, owner of Man Shing Restaurant in Tai Hang.
Yan said he, his 64-year-old mother and his two brothers, who all operate the restaurant together, could not get vaccinated for medical reasons.
“It is time for us to take a rest and have our body checks,” he said.
A government spokesman said restaurant staff with a certified medical exemption should undergo Covid-19 testing every seven days, while those without one would need to get their shots to return to work.
