“The catering sector is suffering the worst situation that I’ve ever encountered,” he said. “How do they do business when most of the people are working from home? They have almost no customers.

“The scheme can help. It has worked very well. HK$9,000 a month to pay staff so they don’t have to be laid off – it is the only way that we can go forward.”

Their appeal came as thousands of restaurants have suspended operations amid the surge in infections and stringent social-distancing curbs. Industry leaders estimate that the number would hit 5,000 by April, close to one-third of the city’s 16,000 eateries. More than 2,000 might shut down for good by the end of April following universal testing of the city’s 7.4 million people next month.

Zeman, who is also chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, predicted that about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the city’s 16,000 restaurants would shut down for good if their woes continued.

Hong Kong reported a record-breaking number of more of than 34,000 infections on Monday while health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee did not rule out that the impending universal screening might require a large-scale lockdown.

Zeman warned that, should there be a lockdown, the number of companies seeking bankruptcies would shoot up.

“If there is a lockdown, the number of bankruptcies will be higher. No one can survive,” he said. “Bars and clubs have been closed from the beginning. Gyms have been closed for so long. There’s no way you can survive.”

The entrepreneur pointed out that many people were leaving the city as they were panicking over Hong Kong’s chaotic Covid-19 policy.

“Everyone that I talked to is [in a] panic, from big tycoons to small-business people … Everybody is nervous and many are leaving Hong Kong,” he said.

“This is something really worrisome because the internationalism of ‘Hong Kong – one country, two systems’ is going to disappear.”

Lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai, representing the retail sector, said he had written to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to urge her to roll out a fresh round of the wage subsidy.

“Now everybody is on the same boat. We should offer financial aid to a wide range of businesses affected by this pandemic, not only the catering or retail industries,” he said.

“The government has to be quick and can’t afford to be hesitant, otherwise it will be too late to save any businesses.”

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said he had put forward the proposal to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po but he worried the scheme would benefit profit-making enterprises.

“I suggest that the government could filter out listed companies to ensure that the money would only go to those in need,” he said. “The city’s businesses are in deep water now. Without further help, the whole economy will collapse.”

Ray Chui Man-wai, chairman of the industry group Institute of Dining Art, said apart from the wage subsidy scheme, the government also needed to offer subsidies for employees who needed to take two weeks off because they were infected or close contacts of the infected.

“So far the budget measures and the sixth round of the relief funding have been very piecemeal and can’t help much to ease our pain,” he said. “The government really needs to offer targeted help for us to ride out the crisis.”