Bands Are Back, But Musicians' Lives Still Off Key

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2020-06-18 HKT 18:33

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• Bands are back, but musicians' lives still off key

After a three-month ban, live music is finally returning to local bars and restaurants starting at midnight on Friday.

The ban was put in place as Covid-19 cases spiked in Hong Kong, and health authorities determined that live music venues had played a role in helping the virus spread.

Many musicians and family members had gotten infected as a cluster of cases centred on live music venues grew.

While the government has spent billions of dollars on relief measures for various industries – including for musicians – many of them were left out because they did not hold the correct MPF accounts to be eligible for HK$7,500 handouts given to self-employed workers.

RTHK’s Candice Wong spoke to some musicians who’ve had their primary source of income taken away for the past three months, to find out how they’ve been coping.