Upcoming Dull Year of the Ox

How can you dig into poon choi if only two people per table?

 

Hongkongers were glum as soon as they heard yesterday from Secretary for Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee that social distancing measures would continue well into Chinese New Year. There were hopes that the decreasing numbers would lead to a loosening up to the start of the Year of the Ox.

But alas, that will not happen.

Chinese restaurants will not be busy this year

The current rules on dining (two per table, dine-in service until 6pm), will continue, while face-to-face classes in schools won't begin until after the Lunar New Year in mid-February.

This is terrible news for Chinese restaurants that were hoping to recoup some of the losses sustained all year. How can any family in Hong Kong have a happy new year when they can only have two per table? Even having dim sum for two people is difficult, let alone poon choi or a large feast.

How restaurants are going to overcome this obstacle and financially survive in the next few months is highly questionable.  While they can offer takeaway meals, these eateries can only make so much money from this, and anyway the festive atmosphere has been preemptively been sucked out by the government, unable to control this virulent fourth wave.

While 32 new cases were recorded today, there's an outbreak in Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, and a construction site where workers are building a tunnel between Tseung Kwan O and Lam Tin. 

CNY is a time for family reunions, not this year

The police are out and about in packs of six or more (when the regulations stipulate two per group in public spaces), checking restaurants in Tseung Kwan O today and other parts of the city, but is that enough to keep the number of new cases down?

Chan, the health secretary, claims the government could even regulate private events, scrutinizing to make sure people are complying to strict measures in their own homes.

While she didn't get into specifics of how that would be executed, one would think a snitch line would be instituted. 

But it's true -- I have neighbours who during the Christmas and New Year holidays, held house parties with lots of people. Not only can I hear many voices, but also the numerous pairs of shoes outside prove there's more than just a family of four inside.

If people are too noisy, then there's reason to believe there's a big party going on... which really should not be happening during a pandemic.

Just saying.