NEWS
COVID RETURNS: HK BANS RESTAURANT DINING, VIETNAM EVACUATES STAYCATION MAKERS
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
27-7-2020
Credit: David Mathews
Hong Kong authorities announced a ban on restaurant dining from Wednesday while Vietnam government has to evacuate 80,000 people from staycation hub of Danang city, as the threat of coronavirus infections returns to haunt Asia’s hospitality sector.
Hong Kong reported a record high of 145 new COVID-19 cases today, it is the sixth straight day with more than 100 new infections and took the overall total to 2,778.
The government announced new restrictions today to stem the surge, on top of banning on-premise dining, the new measures also include banning gatherings of more than two people and mandatory mask wearing in outdoor areas.
Sports venues and swimming pools are also being shut, adding to a list of closed businesses that included gyms, bars and beauty parlors. The new restrictions are for an initial period of one week before they will be reviewed.
Only those under the age of two or with a “reasonable excuse” such as medical conditions will be exempt from the new mask regulation. People flouting the new rules will be subject to a maximum penalty of HKD5,000 (USD645).
Representatives from Hong Kong’s hospitality sector said they can only survive two to three weeks of the on-premise ban, many will go out of business if the ban is to stay longer than that.
Meanwhile in Vietnam, the government is evacuating 80,000 people from the central city of Danang which is popular with domestic tourists. Majority of the people being evacuated are local tourists enjoying staycation in Danang.
Vietnam reported its first community infections since April confirming three new cases in Danang yesterday.
The latest measures seen in Hong Kong and Vietnam, both have effectively contained the spread of coronavirus in previous months, show how hard is the fight against the virus.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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