Caution urged on lifting evening dine-in ban

Hong Kong should not ease restrictions on evening dining in at restaurants just yet, a government adviser on the coronavirus epidemic believes, in response to reports that the ban imposed on July 15, may be eased..

Restaurants are not allowed to offer dine-in between 6:00pm and 5:00am. They can only allow takeaway food and beverage.

David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory disease expert at Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the number of confirmed coronavirus patients remains in double digits, and he personally does not favor the easing of the dine-in restrictions in the evenings, but would respect a decision by the government, he told a radio program.

The source of infection of many patients is unknown, he said. This shows that the virus has penetrated into the community.
From the perspective of prevention and control, it is not the time to relax the epidemic prevention measures.

He understands that the government needs to balance economic considerations with the needs of the people.

If the government wants to relax the night-time dining restrictions, then, he said, strict regulations must be implemented, such as a maximum of two people per table, a maximum of 1 to 1.5 hours to dine-in, and separating the food service and soiled dishes to prevent cross-infections. 

"The government is starting the universal testing very soon, and yet there is no stay-at-home order, and by opening the dinner time, this may even further compromise the aim of this universal testing," RTHK reported. He said the chain of virus transmissions linked to restaurants has been broken since the dining restriction took effect.