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 Bar staff need to have gotten at least one coronavirus vaccine dose
too, and patrons must register with a government mobile tracking
application as they enter.
The Chinese special administrative region has kept COVID-19
transmission largely under control. Hong Kong has recorded more than
11,700 coronavirus cases, far lower than other developed cities. The
new rules come as authorities there try to encourage the city's 7.5
million residents to get vaccinated; only about 12% have received
their first dose.
"The re-opening of bars and the extension of opening hours are
incentives for people to receive the vaccination, while the most
important thing ... is to prevent the spread of the infection,
should it hit us again," said Professor Lau Chak Sing, head of
department of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
"In an ideal situation, one should complete the course of
vaccination to ensure protection," he said, adding that with Hong
Kong's adequate supply of vaccines, people eager to go to bars would
complete both their first and second doses.
Venues including nightclubs, karaoke lounges and bathhouses, can
stay open until 2 a.m. but must operate at half capacity, Sophia
Chan, the city's Health Secretary said. Bars can only seat two
people per table.
COMPLEX RULES
Customers must scan the government's app and show their vaccination
record - stored electronically on their mobile phones - when they
enter. Many residents have declined to use the app because of
privacy concerns, choosing instead to write down their details.
Restaurants can stay open until 2 a.m. and seat up to 8 people at a
table, provided they have received both vaccine doses. But they must
have a separate area for unvaccinated customers, and depending on
whether staff have been vaccinated, might be required to close 10
p.m. or midnight.
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The multi-tiered rules are tough to implement immediately, industry
executives said, and many venues cannot open fully as they cannot
force staff to get vaccinated.
Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, a property owner and
developer in the nightclub district, said that bar owners were
desperate to reopen but that there remained a lot of apprehension
among staff about vaccinations.
"The restrictions
will not be easy. Customers themselves need to have one vaccine,
that in itself is very limiting," he said, adding that the measures
were a baby step forward and an experiment for both the government
and the industry.
Simon Wong, chief executive of LH Group, which operates dozens of
restaurants and employs hundreds of staff, wrote on his Facebook
page that the new arrangement was "so complicated". Wong said his
restaurants would only be able to seat 4 people per table and stay
open until 10 p.m., as many staff did not want to get vaccinated.
Hong Kong residents have been hesitant since the vaccination
programme began in February because of a lack of confidence in
China's Sinovac vaccine and fears of adverse reactions.
Some residents have shown greater take-up for the vaccine offered by
Germany's BioNTech in the city but overall figures remain far below
satisfactory, said the city's leader, Carrie Lam.
(Writing by Farah Master. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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