Coronavirus: Hong Kong restaurant chain Cafe de Coral slams ‘untrue’ rumours alleging staff turned away domestic workers over infection concerns
- Cafe de Coral says it has reported the matter to police and reserves the right to take action against ‘relevant parties’
- No evidence was put forward to support the allegations made in messages circulating on social media
One of Hong Kong’s largest fast-food chains has contacted police over “absolutely unfounded and untrue” online rumours claiming its restaurants were refusing entry to domestic helpers from the Philippines based on Covid-19 concerns.
Facebook messages circulating online accused Café de Coral of racism by turning away helpers from its branches, and also alleged that Hong Kong was supporting mainland China in shifting the blame for the coronavirus crisis onto foreign workers.
No evidence was offered in support of either allegation. The original posts and the Facebook accounts they came from could not be found on the social media giant’s platform.
Rebutting the messages in a statement on Friday, Café de Coral Group said: “The group is highly concerned about rumours regarding Café de Coral banning Filipino domestic helpers from entry, which are absolutely unfounded and untrue.
“We have reported the case to the police and reserve the right to pursue further action against relevant parties.”
The operator said it aimed to offer high-value meals to people from all walks of life and welcomed customers from any ethnicity and background at its branches.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor suspended a controversial new policy that would have forced all 370,000 foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before their contracts could be renewed. The plan had triggered a diplomatic backlash and complaints of discrimination.