Truro restaurant temporarily closes
Owners recently travelled to Hong Kong
TRURO, N.S. — An owner of a Chinese restaurant in Truro has decided to keep its doors shut for two weeks as a precaution after her family recently visited her hometown in China. The Ho Ho Wok closed its doors on Jan. 9 while Sophie Luo, her husband and son celebrated Chinese New Year with her family in Hong Kong. Luo planned to reopen the restaurant the first day of February but pushed back the opening date after hearing concerns about coronavirus from the community. Luo said while her hometown is more than 12 hours away from Wuhan, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated, she was still worried when she was home. “I never went outside. I was too scared,” Luo said. Before boarding their flight to Nova Scotia, the Luo family’s temperatures were checked by officials. “They were very serious. They checked everything and once we were OK, they let us take the flight back,” Luo said. Luo and her family arrived back at their home in Truro on Jan. 28 and are going to stay at home until Feb. 11, as the incubation period of novel coronavirus could be up to 14 days, says the World Health Organization. “I know people are very worried for their health, so me and my husband just want to double check,” Luo said. “I don’t mind closing for a couple of weeks to make sure everything is OK. It was our decision.” Luo and her husband, Ken, posted their choice to remain closed on Facebook and many customers applauded the move. “This is so very thoughtful and responsible of you. Putting your customer’s peace of mind before your business is such an admirable display of ethics and societal responsibility,” Heidi Barbrick said. “We will be back to enjoy your yummy food when you re-open.” “Will be there when you are back,” Corey Matheson added. The Ho Ho Wok is to reopen Feb. 11.