Coronavirus Fear Can't Dampen LKF's Halloween Spirit

Thousands of revellers crowded into Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district as the easing of coronavirus regulations encouraged people to hit the bars for the spookiest night of the year.

People donned vampire and zombie costumes to head to bars, while bar managers expressed hope that the Halloween celebration would give them some relief after months of closures and heavy restrictions due to the coronavirus.

Lan Kwai Fong had not been this crowded for a long time at least since the early summer, before bars and restaurants were ordered to closed because of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

But the easing of social distancing rules from Friday meant this was the first weekend when bars can stay open until 2am. However people are still supposed to gather in groups of no more than four.

There was a heavy police presence to make sure people follow those regulations and other rules, including having to wear masks when not eating or drinking.

Asked about virus concerns, one reveller said: "I'm not afraid. I'm having drinks. I think the alcohol will kill the virus! You know, if you live in this world and keep thinking of virus, virus, everyone will die, too. So why be so scared of Covid-19? Just enjoy. Whether we die today or tomorrow, who cares?"

Another man said he too wasn't afraid of catching the virus. One thing that did make him shudder was the thought of having to drink through a straw, as some people have suggested

"It doesn't really help. It's a bad idea. When you think about it, masks should be a barrier. Putting holes in it is just cheating," he told RTHK's Timmy Sung.

A bar manager, Benjamin, expected Halloween to boost the struggling sector: "It'll definitely help a lot. Everyone is struggling in Lan Kwai Fong. People have changed hands, people have closed restaurants. I closed a few. I closed seven restaurants."

However, another manager, Biru, said he worried that the heavy police presence would spook some customers.

"Police are giving us a little bit of a hard time," he said. "From time to time they check in, are coming outside. Customers feel a little bit of harassment."

But despite the influx of vampies and zombies, The Lan Kwai Fong Association said it didn't expect weekend turnover to be especially high. It said bars didn't want to scare off customers by increasing prices amid the pandemic.