Coronavirus: small Hong Kong businesses call for HK$6 billion government aid, saying they are ‘left behind’ by relief package
- Education service providers such as tuition centres, as well as salon owners and pet shop operators say they are struggling to stay afloat
- Government adviser argues big businesses with many workers are main targets for aid, as it will be impossible to cover all small and private firms
The Hong Kong government should offer another HK$6 billion (US$771.4 million) to 17 hard-hit industries representing some 300,000 breadwinners in the city who did not benefit from an earlier relief package, sector representatives have said.
On Wednesday, service providers from the education industry, such as playgroups, dance or drawing studios, tutorial centres and sports schools, as well as other businesses including yoga studios, pet shops, laundry stores and salons, formed an alliance calling for more government aid.
The move came two weeks after the administration rolled out a HK$30 billion relief package in an urgent bid to bail out industries hammered by the coronavirus outbreak.
More than half of the funding would be used on one-off cash injections to retailers, food and drink service providers, transport companies, students, the arts and culture sector, guest houses and travel agents, while another HK$10.19 billion would centre on the fight against the virus, with support for the Hospital Authority being one example.
“We were left behind by the government, as we are not big companies, but small enterprises who want to survive. But the government did nothing to help us,” said Trevor So Tik-hei from the education sector, spokesman of the newly formed alliance.
Gilbert Wong Zee-chung, who owns nine drawing studios for children, said businesses were seriously affected by the health crisis as authorities had warned parents against bringing their children for classes.
“I have to pay for the shops’ rent and employees’ salaries, totalling half a million a month,” he said. “I have a family to raise, and need money to pay for rent and living costs. I am not sure how long I can survive.”