Protests, Covid-19 and now an infection cluster involving six taxi drivers: Hong Kong’s cabbies brace for fresh industry beating

Name: Hong Kong battling third wave of coronavirus infections as city confirms 14 new cases
Uploaded: 2020-07-09T23:00:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 29 s
Description: Hong Kong battling third wave of coronavirus infections as city confirms 14 new cases

Sector may face a drop of 10 to 20 per cent in business after news of six drivers linked to infection cluster, and disclosure of their licence plates

Drivers advised to avoid favourite eateries and consume takeaway meals in vehicles instead

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Hong Kong’s taxi industry has been struggling from months of civil unrest and the pandemic. Photo: Winson Wong

Cannix YauandKathleen Magramo

Published: 7:00am, 10 Jul 2020Updated: 11:12am, 10 Jul 2020

Hong Kong’s embattled taxi industry is facing a 20 per cent drop in business after taking a fresh round of beating on Thursday, when a new Covid-19 cluster of six cab drivers led to the government revealing their licence plate numbers.

A sector representative offered the gloomy outlook, following news of cabbies infected with the coronavirus over the past few days as a third wave of cases hit the city.

Hong Kong’s taxi drivers have also been urged to take extreme precautions, such as eating alone and avoiding restaurants frequented by peers, as well as wearing eye shields to minimise infection risks.

The city’s 40,000 active cabbies are deemed a high-risk group because of their frequent contact with strangers. By Thursday, the city had recorded 1,365 confirmed cases, eight of whom are taxi drivers.

01:29

Hong Kong battling third wave of coronavirus infections as city confirms 14 new cases

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch under the Centre for Health Protection, said among the six newly infected cabbies, some of them were linked to recent outbreaks at Sun Fat Restaurant in Jordan and Bun Kee Congee and Noodle Shop in Tsz Wan Shan.