'Dancing Cluster' Party Organiser Jailed Two Months

A person whose organised a dance party that contributed to one of the largest Covid-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong last November was on Wednesday sentenced to two months in prison for violating anti-epidemic restrictions, while the license holder of the venue was fined HK$48,000.

The Home Affairs Department (HAD) said around 100 people had attended the gathering at the Palladium International Dance Club in Tsim Sha Tsui on November 16 – which health authorities say led to the so-called ‘dancing cluster’ of coronavirus cases that fuelled the fourth wave of Covid cases in the SAR.

The Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court heard that the venue’s licensee had breached regulations by arranging live performances there; failing to ensure everyone inside wore masks; and not having effective buffers between the performers and the audience.

Breaching anti-epidemic regulations is punishable by six months in prison, plus a HK$50,000 fine.

An HAD spokesman said the department “will continue to proactively take stringent enforcement actions and step up inspections at clubhouses in various districts across the territory to ensure that the responsible persons of the premises and the patrons strictly comply with relevant provisions in the regulations for the prevention and control of diseases.”

He also appealed on the public to comply with anti-epidemic regulations to minimise the risk of Covid transmissions in the community.