Hong Kong performance venues applaud loosening of Covid-19 restrictions on numbers, but other sectors may take longer to see benefits
- Banquets and cinemas will have to wait to see results of decision to axe some coronavirus restrictions
- Catering industry still expected to take HK$350 million through increased bookings for winter solstice, although figure well down on normal years
Concert halls and other performance venues in Hong Kong started to run at full capacity on Thursday after more Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
But the relaxation of restrictions on numbers, which also included banquets, did not have immediate benefits for cinemas or newlyweds who had planned smaller-scale celebrations months before their big day.
The catering industry recorded brisk business as large families gathered over the winter solstice and in the run-up to Christmas, but a health expert warned that the festive season could lead to an increase in Covid-19 cases and add to the pressure on the public healthcare system.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said the catering sector was expected to rake in around HK$350 million (US$45 million) through more restaurant bookings for the winter solstice on Thursday.
Wong said while the winter solstice earnings were predicted to be the highest since the pandemic hit, they still paled in comparison to pre-pandemic years where an average of HK$420 million to HK$450 million was recorded every year.