Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s streets, malls left empty as rising infections and social-distancing rules grip city
- Shop owners worry about business as many have been forced to shut down stores due to staff infections and quarantine rules
- Many services such as banks, grocery stores and post offices have curtailed their operating hours amid the fifth wave
Hong Kong’s fifth wave of Covid-19 has left streets deserted as businesses close over staff infections, while some shop owners question the need for a potential lockdown for universal testing with the city already a “ghost town”.
Other services including post offices, banks and public transport operators have curtailed operating hours amid the worsening Omicron-fuelled outbreak.
Causeway Bay, one of the city’s busiest districts, was noticeably quieter on Wednesday, with only a few people out on the streets and in shops. At an outdoor market in Jardine’s Bazaar, nearly half of about 120 shops were closed, with only grocery stores and apparel shops open.
Chloe Cheung, owner of a boutique outlet in Island Beverley mall, said she saw little hope for the future of her shop.
“There has been zero business for two months, I’m running on a deficit,” said Cheung, who has been operating her own business in the mall for a decade.
The 42-year-old owner said she had stopped ordering new stock last month as business in January had plunged 80 per cent compared with last year.
