M&S Stores In HK Closed For Two Days Over Infections

Health officials had revealed on Monday that a 48-year-old man who works in the M&S store at Windsor House in Causeway Bay had come down with the virus, with his wife having tested positive earlier.

The man had recently been to karaoke with other M&S staff for a farewell party and two colleagues were in hospital with symptoms of Covid-19, while a few others had been sent to quarantine centres.

A sign posted outside stores on Tuesday said a total of three M&S employees had now been confirmed to be infected, with the Plaza Hollywood store in Diamond Hill and the store inside the Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan also now affected by the outbreak.

The notice said the three stores with infected staff were being closed for 14 days for thorough disinfection work to be carried out, while all other stores would close for cleaning on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution.

"The health and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers is our top priority and we are working tirelessly to ensure we come through these exceptional times together," the note said.

It added that stores are expected to reopen after the disinfection work and other necessary safety assessments.

"We are still continuing to follow guidance from the Department of Health to support colleagues and customers across all our stores and offices."

Calls to various M&S stores and offices to try get more information on the situation went unanswered on Tuesday afternoon.

British retail giant Marks & Spencer sold the franchise of its business in Hong Kong and Macau to the Al-Futtaim group in 2018.