Pandemic-hit businesses reel from renewed unrest

Hong Kong’s businesses are feeling renewed concern that social divisions will prolong economic hardship along with the coronavirus, as anti-government protests recurred on Friday.

People working in industries hard-hit by the pandemic expressed consternation after protesters assembled at various locations in the city during the May Day holiday. The rallies defied a ban on gatherings of more than four people designed to curb the spread of the virus.

Kate Lee Hoi-wu, owner of Ngan Loong Cafe, a small restaurant in Yau Tong, is worried that the renewed unrest might deal another blow to her business, which now has only one-third of the customers it had before the pandemic.

Lee said she had been optimistic the spread of the coronavirus was easing after 12 consecutive days without local infections. Yet the latest actions by protesters have cast a shadow over this, she said.

Although they did not resort to violence, these protests show that protracted social unrest might return, Lee said, adding that this may weaken people’s desire to dine at restaurants or even venture outside due to safety concerns.

Boosted by its online popularity, Kwok Tak-ying’s eatery in Sham Shui Po, which sells beef rice, avoided suffering devastating losses due to the pandemic. Yet its reve

Anti-government rallies could affect both public health and safety.” Kwok Tak-ying, a restaurant owner

nue still shrank by about one-third.

She noted that the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the industry, especially on eateries which cater for gatherings, such as hotpot or dim sum restaurants. Some nearby eateries were forced to shut down or lay off employees, Lee explained.

She warned that anti-government rallies could affect both public health and safety, which is “definitely a fatal blow” to the catering sector.

Wong Ka-ngai, president of Hong Kong Tour Guides General Union, warned that if such protests continue, it was unlikely the tourism sector could rebound the way it did after the SARS outbreak in 2003.

Wong said many practitioners in the travel industry, including himself, reported zero income during the pandemic.

Though optimistic that demand will resume after the pandemic, Wong is worried that the impact of social unrest might last far longer. If the city’s stability is undermined, the tourism industry would suffer permanent losses, he cautioned.