Hong Kong bars to reopen after weeks of Covid-19 shutdown from May 8

HONG KONG, May 7, 2020, SCMP. Bars will reopen across Hong Kong on Friday after a month-long coronavirus shutdown, as Lan Kwai Fong venues prepare to slash prices and the nightlife hub’s founder predicts takings as low as half normal levels, South China Morning Post reported.

More than 100 frontline workers have been tested for the virus as part of the Central party zone’s relaunch, which comes as the government eases social-distancing restrictions in response to the improving Covid-19 situation in the city.

Pubs and bars will only be allowed to operate half-full to a maximum of four people per table from Friday, after their emergence as the city’s biggest infection cluster led to a mandatory shutdown of the industry from April 3.

Punters, musicians and their families were among the 103 cases linked to the drinking scene, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of Hong Kong’s infected total, which stood at 1,044 on Thursday.

Amid excitement within the industry for the return of business, heavy discounts on cocktails and promotions such as free-flow drinking appeared online, along with messages on Lan Kwai Fong to “stay safe, play safe”.

Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group and the area’s dominant landlord, predicted that, with social distancing in place, revenues at bars would be at between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of typical levels over the short term, depending on the size of the venues.

“At the beginning, it will probably get many people wanted to come out because many people have been starved for some social entertainment,” Zeman told the Post.

“Many of the bars have been waiting to open up. So the streets actually should be a little bit livelier.”

Before the official shutdown order took effect, about 10 per cent of the 120 or so restaurants and bars in the nightlife hub had already suspended operations in late March, faced with potential customers staying home to guard against contagion.

To boost business, some bars are planning half-price offers on drinks and extensions to “happy hour”. One has even launched a flowers and rosé wine package for Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Anthea Cheung, director of the Lan Kwai Fong Association, said about three bars closed in April, losing their struggle to survive the public health crisis.

But most drinking spots would reopen in time for Friday’s happy hour, with some launching as early as 4pm.

Cheung said other than regular measures such as temperature checks and providing hand sanitiser to customers, the association helped arrange Covid-19 blood tests from April for some 100 interested workers.

“They do not only do it for once. They will keep doing it, for example, weekly or bi-weekly, to ensure they are healthy,” she said.

Max Traverse, owner of a bar in Lan Kwai Fong, said he had received many inquiries about reopening and by Thursday evening had secured reservations for 30 customers for the following day.

Traverse said he was offering unlimited drinks over two hours every Saturday night for HK$250, while signature cocktails would cost HK$50, over 50 per cent cheaper than usual.

“I am not expecting crazy-crazy [business recovery], but at least recovering to a level that I will be able to pay the rent and the staff,” he said.

Ravi Beryar, operations director of the bar Rula Live, did not expect a large increase in business until all the restrictions had been lifted and the health crisis was under control, as he estimated revenue would be no more than 50 per cent of what they take in normal times.

“It’s not only about whether the government is putting restrictions on us. It’s also about when the public will feel safe again to come out again to the Lan Kwai Fong area,” he said.

Cat Hou Chui-shan, chairwoman of the Bartenders and Mixologists Union of Hong Kong, said employees in the industry were generally not too concerned about infection risks because the city had not recorded a locally transmitted case for 18 days.

“Many workers say they have never been this happy when doing cleaning works to prepare for a reopening,” she said.

But some customers held misgivings about drinking in bars.

Raymond Yip, 27, from the IT industry, said: “In the past, when I went drinking, I would be more relaxed and might hug friends and put our arms on each others’ shoulders. But now, I won’t want that.”
Meanwhile, theme park Ocean Park, which has been closed since late January, was making preparations for reopening, although a date had not been revealed.

To capitalise on the relaxed social-distancing arrangements, shopping centres such as Times Square in Causeway Bay and Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui are giving out over HK$100 million worth of coupons to attract customers between May 11 and May 17, in a scheme designed to generate HK$1.8 billion of sales.