Catering Sector Needs Another HK$5bn: Tommy Cheung

Lawmaker Tommy Cheung said on Friday that the government should give the catering industry HK$5 billion if there's a third round of anti-epidemic relief funding.

Speaking on a radio programme, Cheung who represents the catering sector in Legco, said the last three months have been particularly difficult for the industry, but that things are beginning to stabilise with fewer restaurants closing down with the government's job retention scheme as part of the second relief funding rolled out.

However, he said if the government were to extend social distancing measures, then there should be a third round of relief funding to help those who were left out of the first two, and suggested the government invest another HK$5 billion in the catering sector.

On Tuesday, the lawmaker and executive councillor criticised the goverment's decision to extend social distancing measures until May 7, accusing the authorities of failing to strike the right balance between containing the new coronavirus and keeping the economy going.

Social distancing restrictions imposed on restaurants have been slightly relaxed, in that they don't have to run at half of their capacity as previously required.

However, other measures remain such as requiring customers to wear masks when they're not eating, a maximum of four people per table, and a distance of at least 1.5 metres kept between tables.

Meanwhile, Charlie Hui, the vice chairman of the Hong Kong Hair & Beauty Merchants Association told an RTHK programme that the city's salons are suffering amid the economic fallout of the Covid-19 outbreak, and the government needs to provide them with more help.

Hui said although hair salons have not been required to close under social distancing measures, the pandemic has seen their business plummet by 50 to 70 percent.

He added that some in the hairdressing industry are either self-employed or freelance workers, which means they have no MPF accounts and are not eligible to receive 50 percent of their wages, up to HK$9,000, from the government under the relief fund's Employment Support Scheme.