CE Says She Regrets Short-lived Dine-in Ban

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Saturday that she regretted her government's short-lived move to ban people from dining in restaurants at lunchtime, which was scrapped after workers were left with little choice but to eat in the street.

In a Commercial Radio interview, Lam said she and her cabinet felt very embarrassed after making an abrupt U-turn on the decision.

The administration announced on Monday that rules limiting restaurants to serving takeaways in the evening and overnight would be extended to cover the whole day from Wednesday.

By Thursday, a decision had been made to scrap the rules amid complaints that many blue-collar workers had literally nowhere to eat. Pictures emerged of people kneeling outside restaurants and of groups of workers taking meals together.

Lam admitted on Saturday that the balance of the policy was wrong, and said she was sorry to see grass-roots members of society, such as construction workers, suffer the consequences.

Meanwhile Lam remained defiant over her decision on Friday to postpone next month's Legislative Council election by a year.

She says she did it due to public health considerations...and she believes public opinion is on her side.

Lam again stressed that there were no political considerations for the move.

She cited the fact that last year's District Council elections went ahead despite the fact that the pro-government camp's heavy defeat was expected.