By The SUN
 |
| Restaurants want to sit more people together and for restrictions on their opening hours removed |
Health authorities reported
an additional 3,897 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, of which 117 were imported.
The new tally, which was
reported in a government press statement, was down sharply from the 5,190
recorded on Saturday.
Separately, the Hospital
Authority reported 10 patients with Covid who passed away.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
As of this morning, a total
of 2,066 patients are being treated in public hospitals. Among them, 39 are critically
ill, including 13 who are receiving intensive care, and 40 are in serious
condition.
Meanwhile, five groups
representing the catering industry called on Chief Executive John Lee earlier today to ease Covid restrictions on
restaurants.
In a letter, the groups asked
that the maximum number of people allowed to sit together in eateries to be
raised to 12 from the current 8, and for the scrapping of the 120-people limit
for banquets and the restrictions on opening hours.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
They also asked for the
lifting of the ban on live shows and other related restrictions in catering
premises.
They warned that more
restaurants and bars would close down and more people sacked from their jobs,
if the restrictions are not eased soon.
"The epidemic
restrictions on catering businesses have remained the same since a round of
easing in May, and residents' willingness to spend in restaurants have not been
recovering," they said in their joint letter to the CE.
 |
| Press for details |
Apart from the decline in
patronage, they said restaurant owners have been hit by rising costs due to
inflation that they are having a hard time keeping their businesses running.
With the easing of the travel
restrictions, they fear a bigger decline in their business by Christmas, as
people could just opt to travel abroad to celebrate, instead of having to cope
with local regulations on masking and public gatherings.
"The catering industry
may face an unprecedented critical situation, a new round of severe
winter," the groups said in their letter.
 |
| BASAHIN ANG DETALYE |
Those who made the appeal were the Association of Restaurant Managers, the Hong
Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Association for Hong
Kong Catering Services Management, the Institute of Dining Professionals and
the Hong Kong Japanese Restaurant Association.
Separately, Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said in
a TV interview that officials are studying whether local social-distancing
measures could be relaxed soon, amid the decline in infections.
But he ruled out a further
easing of regulations on inbound travelers, saying Hong Kong must keep out new
Covid variants that are emerging overseas.
While mandatory hotel
quarantine has been scrapped, along with the negative PCR test result prior to
boarding a flight to Hong Kong, travelers are still required to undergo several
Covid tests on arrival, and during the next seven days.
On the first three days upon
arrival, travelers will also be given an amber code, which prohibits them from
entering high-risk places such as restaurants, churches, hair salons, gyms and
other sports facilities.
Lo said that this is because
the infection rate among new arrivals is around three percent, compared to one
percent locally.
 | ||
PADALA NA!
|
