Don't Gather In Bars Or Restaurants: Health Official

A senior health official has warned Hong Kong people they should stop gathering to eat at restaurants or drink at bars if they want to protect themselves and others against the new coronavirus.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, the public face of the Centre for Health Protection during the current crisis, used her daily briefing on Thursday to appeal to the public to avoid such gatherings.

“When you’re having drinks or dinner, usually you won’t wear masks and you usually talk a lot with each other. This kind of activities may pose a risk if some of the persons participating in the event have asymptomatic infections or mild symptoms,” she said.

“Obviously if they have severe symptoms, they probably won’t go to those gatherings. So avoid gatherings, social distancing applies to all situations, including bars and restaurants,” she said

The warning came as officials announced they were looking into whether Covid-19 is being spread through visitors to the Lan Kwai Fong bar area of Central.

Early on in the city's outbreak, a cluster of cases was linked to a family's hotpot gathering, while virus scares have also emerged involving people who had been to various banquets.

Some overseas countries have advised or ordered restaurants and bars to close, but no such move has been made in Hong Kong.

The SAR has so far confirmed 208 coronavirus infections, with four fatalities.