Catering Sector Warns Against More Restrictions

The president of the Federation of Restaurants Simon Wong said the catering industry could lose as much as 60 percent of its business this month if there are further restrictions in place on eateries.

The government has imposed a ban restaurant dining from 6pm to 5am, to curb the spread of Covid-19, and restaurants will only be allowed to offer takeaways during that period.

Wong told an RTHK radio programme on Friday that between 500 to 600 restaurants had decided to close in the evenings, while others said they had only a few takeaway orders.

He also expressed concern about customers waiting inside restaurants for their takeaways because of poor indoor ventilation, or if they breach the ban on gatherings of more than four people if customers have to wait outside the restaurant for their order.

Wong's comments come after Hong Kong University microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung on Thursday suggested a total ban on dining out altogether as a third wave of Covid-19 infections continues to sweep across Hong Kong.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Tuesday that all restaurant dining may be stopped if the Covid-19 situation gets worse.