Dine-in ban to be pushed back a few hours

The dine-in ban will be partially lifted, sources said, as the government will allow dine-in at restaurants till 9:00 to 10:00 pm.

According to sources, the government plans to push back dine-in period restrictions from the current 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm or even 10:00 pm. 

However, other restrictions will remain unchanged, including no more than two people per table, and restaurants can only operate at half capacity.

“As the pandemic dwindles, the government is considering a change to the current dine-in restrictions, including extending dine-in hours by a few hours,” sources said.

“They are discussing extending the period to 9:00 to 10:00 pm, while keeping other restrictions unchanged,” he added.

Sources also said the government believes the pandemic remains severe, therefore social distancing measures should not be relaxed.

The Food and Health Bureau will come up with a decision today, and will consult the Executive Council tomorrow.

The new measures should be implemented on Wednesday if there aren’t any complications.

Catering sector lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan pointed out that if restaurants are not able to reopen for nighttime by next week, a wave of domino-style closures will occur. 

Cheung also suggested several preventive measures for the catering industry to the government, including separating janitors and pantry helpers.

A series of social distancing measures were put in place by the government amid the pandemic, which includes imposing a dine-in ban at restaurants from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am, and will last till August 18.