Picture of the Day: Fan Power

Keung To fans spend money to broadcast his birthday

I'm walking around a shopping mall in downtown Vancouver called Pacific Centre and I see not one but two large screens showing a video compilation of Keung To, one of the more popular singers from the Hong Kong boy band Mirror!

It turns out it's his birthday on April 30, and his fans here have enough $$$ to rent space on a digital billboard in a major shopping mall to display their love for him!

Back in the 1980s fans of Cantopop stars like Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, Anita Mui Yim-fong and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau would buy ginormous bouquets of flowers to give them personally at their concerts.

Now in 2022 and fans have gone all digital with massive billboards and way more money involved.

It's the same kind of fervent dedication, but with deeper pockets thanks to crowdfunding...

PS: Here is the link link to my new blog: https://goodbyehkhelloyvr.blogspot.com/

Picture of the Day: Christmas is Coming

Christmas-themed squirrel pokes his head out

There are 39 more days until Christmas...

This year will be a busy one in Hong Kong. 

Last year Christmas was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing families to cook at home or order turkeys, hams, gravy and brussel sprouts. It was a strange time.

Most chefs enjoyed Christmas because it was the first time in a long time they didn't have to work on December 25.

Festive afternoon tea at Peninsula Boutique

But this year Christmas is definitely on and the shopping malls have started unveiling their Christmas decorations for photo opportunities. This one from Heritage 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui has a squirrel theme.

And with most of Hong Kong's population stuck in the city for almost two years, everyone's looking for something fun and interesting to do for the holidays.

Will people shop shop shop and eat eat eat?

We will find out... in 39 days...

Beijing Officials Tell Hong Kong to Catch Up

Huang tells Hong Kong to speed up economic development

Today senior Beijing officials told Hong Kong legislators the city needs to play catch up if it wants to have a brighter economic future with the mainland.

They claimed Hong Kong wasted too much time on politicking and infighting and meanwhile in China's 14th five-year plan, the city needs to fulfill its role as part of the nation's overall development.

Huang met with legislators in two-hour session

Deputy director Huang Liuquan of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the imposition of the city's national security law, alongside Beijing's drastic overhaul of the electoral system, had ensured the steadfast and successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" governing principle.

"A favourable situation does not come easily," he told dozens of lawmakers who attended the two-hour seminar at Tamar. "Hong Kong right now needs to roll up its sleeves to focus on its development."

It's quite simple to speed up the city's economic development -- open the border. Every property development for sale, insurance company, hotel, restaurant, boutique, shopping mall is ready to open its arms to mainland visitors. They are so ready to pounce.

However, Hong Kong is at the mercy of China's insistence on zero Covid-19 cases which is near impossible and as a result refuses to lift border restrictions. 

And yet China tells Hong Kong to speed up its economic development...

HK businesses are waiting for mainlanders

So pro-Beijing lawmakers are now urging the mainland and Hong Kong authorities to start discussions on reopening the border.

"The business sector is ready to invest," said Felix Chung Kwok-pan of the Liberal Party. "Hong Kong and overseas businesses all think that the future market is in China, but we're hindered by the border closure."

Meanwhile Starry Lee Wai-king of the DAB said her party told Huang that people want to see the border reopened.

So... let's get on with it then. And reopening the border may prompt more locals to get vaccinated!

Sounds like a win-win to me...

HK Restarts Extreme Quarantine Measures

Lam said today the measures were to prevent another outbreak

 

People in Hong Kong are gutted the government is changing the quarantine rules from seven days to 14 after a fully vaccinated domestic helper was found to be infectious in the community beyond the seven-day quarantine with the highly infectious Delta variant.

Those who are already traveling in what are now deemed medium-risk countries will have to scramble to extend their hotel quarantine stay to 14 days, and another seven days at home.

Dr Yuen says three in quarantine have same virus

And it doesn't matter if you've been vaccinated and have a positive antibody test.

Government pandemic adviser Dr Yuen Kwok-yung says the helper could have been infected by a couple staying in the same quarantine hotel, the Dorsett Wan Chai, as they were staying opposite to the helper and all three have the same genome sequencing.

There are concerns the couple left the window open in their room, which allowed the contaminated air to flow out of their room. Yuen added the air flow in the two rooms was not up to standard.

While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says the changes are being made to prevent the city from having another outbreak, some feel Hong Kong's fearful approach to the virus is wrong and isolationist.

They all stayed at the Dorsett Wan Chai

They feel that the city has had a vaccination program running for months now and there is no excuse for people not to get inoculated from Covid-19, and that the authorities should stop protecting those who are not vaccinated at the expense of those who have gotten the jab.

In addition, with vaccines available, people abroad who have been inoculated should be able to enter Hong Kong.

With today's news and China still trying to stamp out infections with its zero-case policy, there are predictions the mainland may not open its borders with Hong Kong until the end of next year.

It is possible more people will leave, in particular expats who, while they are grateful to live in a safe city like Hong Kong, they have had enough of the extremely quarantine and social-distancing measures and want to go home and see their loved ones. 

Some argue residents should be allowed into HK

They feel not having seen their family for almost two years is too much, and those with young children or about to retire and throwing in the towel and moving out.

In the meantime Hong Kong's economy is going to continue to sputter along, as it is so dependent on mainlanders coming in to shop, dine and buy property.

How much longer the city can survive like this is hard to say...

 

Voucher Spending Frenzy

People flocked to MTR stations to collect their Octopus subsidy

 

Finally we can start spending the first installment of our HK$5,000 (US$643) voucher!

Those who registered with Octopus get their HK$2,000 today and many headed to the MTR station to collected the subsidy.

Others who registered with AliPay, Wechat Pay HK, and Tap & Go also received their HK$2,000.

And according to media reports people immediately started spending that free money -- well their own taxpayer money -- on everything from food to clothes, electronic gadgets and Rolex watches.

Chan says HK$30 billion will be spent in HK

Some even pooled their vouchers to buy refrigerators or HK$2,600 worth of food at a supermarket.

Sounds like people are dying to shop which is strange considering last year the government gave out HK$10,000 in cash. There was hardly a frenzy to use the money then...

Nevertheless, the government is hoping the extra HK$30 billion floating around Hong Kong will stimulate the economy and get people to spend -- they have to use it all in order to get the next installment.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also gave another reason for the vouchers. 

"We also hope the vouchers can promote the trend of electronic payments... We believe overall, the vouchers will have a positive impact. Its concrete impact will be reviewed after the scheme has been rolled out," he said today.

The government may want to use this as a way to track people's spending and see where their money is going...

Lam spent a whopping HK$2,000 on apples today

About 5.5 million people or 75 percent of the population are eligible to register for the voucher if they registered before July 17.

It's interesting to note that today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor posted on Facebook a picture of her at a supermarket called U-Select where she said she spent HK$2,000 on buying 200 apples for a local sports event.

Aside from her comment that, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" alludes to Apple Daily, does she know she was ripped off paying HK$10 per apple?

 

Despite Covid Cluster, Shoppers Gather at Mall

A lot of people waited for K11 Musea to reopen yesterday

 

An upscale shopping mall in Hong Kong was the site of the latest cluster of coronavirus cases with 50 infections linked to a restaurant over the past month.

K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui opened over a year ago by New World Development and it features high-end shops or boutiques with added services, as well as a cinema, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has a gift shop in there, and trendy cafes and restaurants.

Shoppers were lured by e-coupons at the mall

However, it recently became the centre of over four dozen coronavirus cases which apparently started with a cleaner who worked at Mr Ming's Chinese Dining. 

Within two days in mid February, dozens of people were infected, and there were also cases in Cartier, and a cookie shop, as well as in the toilets. It is believed an asymptomatic person spread the virus in the toilet even... 

In both cases experts believe their viral loads were so high that they were not contained by them wearing their masks.

The mall took a while to react to the news, as if in denial and then finally last week decided to close for two days for disinfection, which soon extended to a week.

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong the scion heading of New World Development released a video showing off disinfecting robots wandering the mall to clean it in a bid to mitigate fears.

The mall recently had a cluster of 50 cases

But he needn't have worried because yesterday there was a massive crowd of a few hundred people waiting outside for the mall to reopen.

Pictures on social media showed around 300 people milling around and not really socially distancing -- all because the mall had some big shopping promotions by collecting e-coupons that day. Oh and three hours free parking without having to buy anything. 

It just shows there are a lot of people out there willing to risk the chance of catching Covid-19 for a good deal.

Unbelievable. 

OK there is a new Legoland store with massive interactive displays, but was it really necessary to go on the first day?

Opening Shop in a Pandemic

Cinnabon's pecan and caramel, chocolate, and peanut butter

 

Today I went to preview a shop opening in City Gate, Tung Chung for Seattle bakery brand Cinnabon. For those who studied in North America, they have warm fuzzy feelings for this product, the gooey frosting covering the cinnamon roll. It's so calorific, but so comforting.

This is the second shop -- the first one opened at Olympian City earlier this year in February just at the start of the pandemic, which was really good for sales because most people were working from home. I heard there were really long lines, but people were patient to get their Cinnabons, with the option of getting at least one fresh out of the oven.

For this second outlet there's a small area for people to sit down and eat, and there's even USB charging stations for people to have a decent coffee break or work a bit at the store. This time around there's some savoury items like panini cheese roll with ham, turkey and pickles, but honestly, people are there for the sweet cinnamon rolls.

Stephen Yang says finding shop space is hard

I asked the owner, Stephen Yang Tsuen-men when he was going to open on Hong Kong island. Olympic City is already a trek, and Tung Chung was even further, but it was a good way to capture the large residential community living there, the close proximity to the airport and those living in the outlying islands like Mui Wo.

Yang said landlords on Hong Kong island were still not lowering their rents. I was flabbergasted to hear this. He seemed to think they were still holding out which seems ridiculous in this climate considering the pandemic is going to be around for another year at least. 

I felt he should open a shop in Wan Chai or Causeway Bay, but he could not find a good space. He said for Causeway Bay there was Hysan (too far upstairs), and Times Square was dead (which is true). World Trade Center would have been good, Yang said, except The Excelsior hotel next door is gone, rendering the area very quiet.

Wan Chai would be good, but again where? So it wasn't that easy, and finding a cooperative landlord is hard too. He believes his product does best in a shopping mall where there is lots of pedestrian traffic.

Yang has to demonstrate to his Citygate landlord that Cinnabon attracted customers to the mall, and come Saturday when it officially opens, it should do the trick, though the location is a bit hard to find, as the mall has many nooks and crannies.

Who can resist trying a Cinnabon or two?

His other big challenge is getting the local market to try Cinnabons. If they have not studied overseas as a student (he says Canadians are the biggest Cinnabon fans here), then they don't know what cinnamon rolls are and assume it's very sweet. When I pointed out that at HK$38 it wasn't a big investment to try, he countered, but having a pineapple bun is much cheaper. While this is comparing apples to oranges, he is probably thinking the way they are.

A big part of his job besides hauling the raw materials of flour, sugar and cinnamon to the two outlets is educating potential customers about the product and the brand. He is enthusiastic and has the energy, but he's wondering if he's banging his head on a brick wall. 

Nevertheless, he hopes with more media exposure and influencers seen trying the product, that will inspire people to try it out. I told him perhaps it will take some time, but he seems anxious for it to take off.

He was also disappointed that the company is also offering "minibons", much smaller cinnabons that would have been perfect for birthday parties and corporate meetings, but large gatherings are not allowed now. 

Cinnabons just rolled up and ready to be baked

Nevertheless I reminded him that right now a lot of restaurants and shops are barely surviving the pandemic and he's opening a second shop. He's doing very well considering the circumstances.

Hopefully he will be able to open on Hong Kong island soon... many people there are customers who are willing to buy Cinnabons, but not trek across the harbour to get them...

Hong Kong's "Not So Golden" Week

Hong Kong needs to prepare for more stormy days ahead

Four days into "Golden Week", when mainlanders used to flood into Hong Kong and go on shopping sprees, clog up the MTR and restaurants, the local tourism and catering sectors are mourning the loss of HK$2.26 billion (US$292 million).

That's the number tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing estimated, saying a visitor would spend around HK$4,000 during their stay.

Only 918 visitors arrived from October 1-4, compared to 566,000 last year during the anti-government protests.

Mid-Autumn Festival kicked off Golden Week

"For hard-hit, tourism-related sectors such as hotels, retailers and restaurants, they all rely on local consumption to make up part of their losses, by 10 to 20 percent," he said.

Hotels did well this past long weekend, with many locals doing staycations, and hotels offering discounted packages. As a result occupancy levels were 80 to 90 percent, which at the beginning of the pandemic was in single digits, but in the last few months has hovered around 20 percent.

The number of mainlanders coming to Hong Kong plummeted 92 percent between January and August this year to just 2.7 million, compared with more than 34.5 million for the same period last year.

And Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, estimated the catering sector took in about HK$1.1 billion over the past four days, which was a drop of more than 25 percent from last year's takings of HK$1.5 billion.

Retailers still relying on local consumers

"The reduction in earnings over the past few days was mainly due to the social-distancing rules that limit eateries from serving customers at more than half capacity. Under these constraints, I think business turnover for the catering sector was satisfactory," he said.

This is Hong Kong's new reality and all industries need to embrace this new normal. Even if the coronavirus pandemic recedes significantly worldwide and people can travel again, Hong Kong is not going to see tourist numbers like before anymore given its recent political developments.

The new national security law has prompted many foreign governments to warn its citizens not to travel to Hong Kong -- even for an airport transfer -- for fears of possibly being detained. 

Last year's protests have severely tarnished the city's reputation as a shopping mecca, and the pandemic has exposed questions of needing so many luxury brand shops.

Hong Kong cannot depend on the mainland market anymore. It needs to rethink what kind of city it can be now that it is considered a dangerous places for visitors to come to. What kind of campaign can the Hong KongTourism Board launch when tourists are terrified they might be nabbed by China's secret police!

Not a relaxing sight to see riot police around

In addition, the local economy can't sustain the city either when many residents are packing up and emigrating elsewhere. 

The odds are stacked against Hong Kong. Anyone have any brilliant ideas?

Repression Forces Satirical Show off Air

Headliner poked fun at politics and social trends every week

A few hours ago Radio Television Hong Kong broadcast its last episode of Headliner, a satirical show based on current events. The show has been running since 1989, poking fun at government officials, policies and social trends.

One episode poked fun at the police hoarding PPE

However, the show was rebuked by the police force and its supporters, for Headliner's February 14 show that had a comedy sketch where the Hong Kong police were hoarding all the personal protective equipment during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Communications Authority later declared that episode "denigrated and insulted" the police force.

RTHK apologized then decided to suspended the show after the season ended, which is today. A review will be conducted to see how the show can be developed "in an ever changing social environment", but it is believed the show is gone for good.

I caught it a few times, and many of the running gags was a man dressed up as an empress dowager, meant to be Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and another man is her minister. They poke fun at the latest policy announcement or how she is blindly obeying Beijing.

The show has been on the air since 1989

Many worry this show is the canary in the coal mine, closing down because the impending national security law could impact the show, thus threatening Hong Kong's freedom of speech and expression.

There is more repression in the form of the shop owner of a children's clothing store in Tsuen Wan, who has placed a statue honouring Hong Kong protesters in his store, which is in a shopping mall owned by New World conglomerate, which is supporting the national security law.

The landlord has ordered Chickeeduck founder Herbert Chow Siu-lung to take down the statue, saying in the contract the landlord has to approve decoration inside the shop, but Chow doesn't agree.

"I support democracy for sure," Chow said. "I thought it was quite a nice art piece. It will be a meaningful in-store display and that's how it all started. For me, it's how I would all love it to end, but instead, it's been blown all out of proportion.

Chickeeduck has a statue of a protester

"The artist has given us two months to play with it and move it from store to store and see which landlords will embrace it. then we'll go to the next mall."

While Chow declines to say he is supportive of the protesters, he wants children who come to the store to learn more about democracy.

One Hongkonger purposely traveled from his home in Ma On Shan to Tsuen Wan to see the shop, take pictures and show his support.

"The store is one of the businesses that have the courage to clearly state their political stance. It deserves support and encouragement," he said. "Many businesses have said they are 'yellow', but not all of them have the courage to do the same."

Owner Chow has yet to meet the landlord

Chow has yet to meet the landlord and seems mentally prepared for what may happen if he doesn't comply and take down the statue.

Meanwhile late this afternoon I went to Sheung Wan to the small shop that sells nuts, candies, cigarettes and Chinese spirits, but I was shocked to find it was already shuttered. I had no idea when it had closed and there was no sign indicating where they had moved.

It has been my go-to place for nuts for almost 10 years, and in the last year or so, I asked how the shop owner was doing in terms of profits. He gave me the analogy that at first he was eating OK, just enough to be full, and then now it was down to congee. He was eeking out a living with his wife, and at one point last year he was ill and closed the shop for a few months while his wife took care of him.

My nut shop is next to this property agency

The shops next to it were also closed, probably forced out by a developer who has taken over the site.

More and more shop spaces are vacated and it's hard to remember what was there before.

Before the pandemic, we used to joke that we would starve because all the shops were all rented to luxury fashion brands, watches and jewellery.

However, now they too are disappearing with no mainland customers and not enough locals buying frivolous items.

At this rate we're going to resort to eating congee too...

What is HK's New "Normal"?

How much longer will social distancing continue in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong reported a third consecutive day of no new coronavirus cases, its total number continues to be 1,037. The government is looking at the majority of civil servants coming back to work next week, while libraries and museums will reopen, along with outdoor venues like sports grounds.

While restaurant and shop owners must be breathing a sigh of relief in the hopes that business will return back to "normal", will Hongkongers really go out in droves to shop and dine out?

Will diners expect distances to be kept in restaurants?

Some say they are itching to go out, while others couldn't care less, partly because of their own perilous financial situation, or have been so spooked by the pandemic that they have lost all interest in stepping out.

It will be interesting to see how Hongkongers react next week, particularly after May 7, when government restrictions on social distancing measures are supposedly lifted. But will restaurant patrons prefer to have tables maintain their 1.5 metres apart to give them more confidence? That could impact restaurateurs' bottom line, but this practice might have to continue to have customers return.

Or perhaps diners would rather continue to eat at home, but order more takeout from their favourite restaurants, or meal kits to assemble themselves, or cook from scratch as it's more healthier. It will be interesting to see which of these options will become more popular with time.

After May 7, will people return to shopping malls to shop?

One thing's for sure -- people are still willing to queue for something they really want. A gourmet cookie enterprise called Cookie Dpt has done very savvy marketing. It doesn't have a physical store, but a kiosk on the third floor of the Landmark shopping mall in Central.

If you follow them on Instagram, they release certain flavours on certain days. Of course the pictures of gooey cookies makes everyone's mouth water.

I was in Central today for a work assignment and in the late afternoon I headed over there to see if I could get my hands on today's special flavours -- Nutella hazelnut chocolate chip, and salted caramel.

But at 4.50pm everything was sold out. "Wait! We have more cookies coming at 5pm!" said a guy manning the booth.

I came back five minutes later to see a group of women hovering around the kiosk. I told them the guy would be back and he was, though he said it would be another 15 minutes, and could we stand in a line?

A selection of Cookie Dpt's cookies that are indulgent treats

It was only later did I find out both of those special flavours would not be in this new shipment coming from their kitchen in Wong Chuk Hang, but since I was third in line, I didn't want to give up my spot. Every few minutes I would look behind me and see more people joining the queue. Quite impressive.

Finally at around 5.30pm he got the call to come down and pick up the cookies. Ten minutes later he came back with three big boxes, but as one person collecting cash and filling orders, he asked everyone to be patient and no one heckled him.

I've tried the cookies before, and they are calorific, but delicious. They are a bit expensive at HK$40 a cookie, but it's a sinful treat you can't find anywhere else. It's like the "lipstick effect" -- even in an economic downturn, people are looking for a relatively cheap indulgence. 

While I only bought three cookies, if each person buys a box of six, it's possible they ran out quite quickly and there were over a dozen people behind me in line...

Retail Sector Continues to Sink

Shopping malls are practically empty, hitting the retail industry hard

Today Hong Kong reported just one new positive case of the coronavirus, and at the press conference this afternoon, reporters asked Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection if this signaled the start of the government possibly lifting the restrictions on gatherings and 50 percent capacity in restaurants and so on.

However Chuang again repeated her mantra that it was still too early to tell, that Hong Kong also had to consider the global situation, which she said was still not good, and also because the virus can be carried by asymptomatic people, it was best to still maintain social distancing, wear masks in public places and maintain good hygiene.

Dr Chuang says social distancing needs to continue

She is probably still waiting until at least over a week from now after the Easter holidays to see if there are any cases that are reported locally after many people gathered in beaches and hiking trails.

While the one new case is positive news for Hong Kong, there is a dire announcement from the retail sector, that some 10,400 workers will lose their jobs and 5,200 stores will close by the end of May, and probably even more will be shuttered later in the year.

The Hong Kong Retail Management Association released these statistics after surveying 152 firms that operate 3,345 stores and employ about 23 percent of the sector's workforce.

Association chairwoman Annie Tse Yau On-yee said 96 percent of the companies suffered losses during the pandemic, and the latest HK$137.5 billion government relief package would only delay the rise in the unemployment numbers.

Most people are staying at home to avoid possible infection

Companies could not benefit from the scheme of the government subsidizing employees' wages if shops were going to close.

She warned if the pandemic continued and there weren't enough relief measures, another 2 percent of employees, or 5,200 people in the companies it interviewed could expect to lose their jobs in May.

Also in the survey, more than half the respondents said rent cuts would be most helpful, though more than 84 percent said the reductions were not enough.

The survey revealed no landlords had heeded the association's call to charge rent based on business' turnover or offer rent relief for May and June.

Wonder if many of these landlords mentioned in this survey are the big tycoons who seem to think business is business and renters have an obligation to pay their monthly dues despite a global pandemic that is beyond anyone's control.

If the pandemic continues, more shops will close for good

Hong Kong has managed (so far) to flatten its curve significantly to single digits, but that's because a lot of people are not out shopping, nor do they have the appetite to do so with looming pay cuts or even job losses.

As a result that has impacted the retail industry profoundly, and if landlords want to continue having shop spaces occupied, then they have to step up and shoulder the burden too. They, particularly the tycoons, and large corporations, have the resources to ride out this unprecedented crisis.

How about giving back to the community to keep the economy going? Otherwise there is going to be a lot more empty shop spaces in Hong Kong than ever before.

Channelling the Lion Rock Spirit

Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered his budget address with sweetners

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po gave his annual budget address today in the Legislative Council, and the government made a lot of concessions, like tax breaks on the salaries tax, property tax and property rates, low interest loans for businesses, more social assistance for low-income families, and waiving fees for students to take the university entrance exam.

People are already wondering how to spend HK$10,000

But the top news item was that every permanent resident 18 years and older will receive HK$10,000 (US$1,283). That means some 7.1 million people will benefit. Why so many? Because many permanent residents live overseas... When they will get the money in their hands is another story which worries businesses who are anxious for people to spend the now.

The eight months of anti-government protests and now the spread of the coronavirus in the city has resulted in a lot of empty shops and restaurants.

An acquaintance I had dinner with this evening described her recent visit to the newest shopping mall, K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui. It's an upscale mall that has shops that aren't usually found in most other places (ie more expensive), and there are lots of vertical gardens to create a lush atmosphere, while the staff manning the information booths look like hipsters.

Looking up at the ceiling at K11 Musea shopping mall

On the day she went, during lunchtime, she could barely count 50 people in the ground floor, and the upper floors? Not a soul.

The only relatively busy area was the food court, and even then it wasn't difficult to get a table.

Part of the problem is that because of the coronavirus, a lot of people are working from home, and the location of the mall is not where many office workers are.

When I asked if some of the shops were closed, she said over 90 percent of them were open. It's a sad -- no -- a disastrous situation for Hong Kong's economy.

The other day a colleague and her husband went to see Guy Ritchie's latest film, The Gentlemen and they had the whole cinema to themselves. Many aren't going because the government has strongly dissuaded people to go to the movies because there is a chance of being infected from droplets in the air, even though people are wearing masks and had their temperature taken at the door.

K11 Musea was pretty empty of customers recently

Meanwhile the fine dining Chinese restaurant in Central we went to this evening just had a handful of tables occupied, customers spread out from each other in the dining room.

It's no wonder the restaurant is anxious to launch its take away lunch boxes, like char siu with vegetables and rice -- something they would have never considered doing before.

But this is the Lion Rock spirit -- finding any way to survive.

A lot of shops and restaurants are going to have to close, and while it's terrible for the people who will be laid off, there is a hope that those companies that do survive will be better -- they will have staff who appreciate their jobs, and are able to serve customers well.

It's the details that count, and people remember that.

Before all this chaos happened, service staff for the most part either didn't care for their jobs, or were too arrogant to serve potential customers. If Hong Kong wants to pull itself out of this economic crisis, it needs people with the right mindset who are willing to persevere -- with a smile.

Here's hoping for a stronger, leaner Hong Kong. Customer service doesn't mean pandering to people, but being professional, enthusiastic and compassionate. Is that too much to ask?

Hong Kong's Next Crisis: Unemployment

A mask-wearing father carrying his child in a pretty empty MTR train

As of today there are just over 2,000 deaths from the coronavirus, over 75,200 confirmed cases. Hong Kong recorded its second death today, a 70-year-old who visited the mainland for a day and then came back with symptoms later. He also had existing health conditions.

A big concern now is the economic fallout from the Wuhan coronavirus -- and it's going to be huge just in Hong Kong alone.

Hong Kong Airlines cutting costs and staff to stay alive

Cathay Pacific has had to cut back its capacity by 40 percent, meaning lots of flight crews, engineers and catering don't have much to do and have been asked to take unpaid leave. They even closed their first class and business lounges in the airport since hardly anyone is flying these days.

Today Hong Kong Airlines laid off 170 staff, which a reporter pointed out, was more than the number of passengers who flew on the airline today.

And in order to survive this crisis, Hong Kong Airlines has stopped all in-flight entertainment, meals, drinks and even blankets to cut costs.

The remaining staff (around 3,300), are taking no-pay leave from mid-February until the end of June, which is the equivalent of working part-time on half their salary for the next two months.

Cathay Pacific has had to cut flights, staff take unpaid leave

An ex-colleague contacted me last night asking if I knew of any freelance work available. The company he works for has notified staff that they will have to take no-pay leave for four months starting next week. For younger workers who don't have much saved up, or those with debt or other obligations, that's a big financial hit.

Meanwhile hotels are operating on a dire existence. The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, which has 86 owners running 200 hotels that employ 80,000 workers said today that occupancy percentage levels are in the single digits.

"So few rooms are taken up that our members no longer gauge occupancy by percentage, but by room numbers, said Michael Li Hon-shing, executive director of the federation.

"Now, many full-time hotel staff are taking no-pay leave. I would not be surprised to see businesses closing down next. February and March will be the critical period for their life and death."

Hotel occupancy is in the single digits all over town

Tourism contributed 4.5 percent to Hong Kong's GDP in 2018. Surely this year it's going to be down in the dumps, as there are only some 3,000 people arriving in the city daily, compared to 100,000 last month, and 200,000 in February last year.

Yesterday the Hong Kong Tourism Board said COVID-19 is worse than SARS 17 years ago, when there was an average of 10,000 visitors daily and hotel occupancy was in the double digits.

This time a lot of airline carriers have suspended flights to Hong Kong, and even immigration at Shun Tak ferry terminal, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau have stopped, resulting in drastically fewer visitors coming in.

That means less travelers injecting money into the local economy, in particular retail, and on top of that locals are too scared to dine out, resulting in restaurants and bars being very quiet. Even taxis are easy to flag down these days.

Shopping malls are pretty empty, retail taking a big hit

The only places that are busy are supermarkets and pharmacies to get essentials like masks, rice and toilet paper.

That said, today I noticed more people going to work, or going out in general on the MTR and the bus. They are tired of being cooped up in their flats and want a change of scenery. Or maybe their bosses have had enough of the work-at-home measure that has resulted in terrible productivity levels (what have you been watching on Netflix?).

While the government has suggested civil service staff work from home until February 23, we will find out soon if it will extend it for another week or ask more staff to come back to the office.

However, we are no where near containing the coronavirus to the point where the numbers are plateauing yet. It is considered highly contagious as demonstrated from the statistics and the links between some of the cases.

There may be a lot more restaurant closings in Hong Kong

Regardless, in the end, the economic cost of this virus will hurt a lot of people in Hong Kong, from layoffs to pay cuts. Will the city be able to rebuild itself again after this? It will take sheer determination, creativity and resourcefulness. As demonstrated the government has no leadership in this crisis. We're going to have to do this on our own.

香港人加油!!!!

Hong Kong's New Normal

Commuters in Hong Kong for the most part are wearing masks in public areas

The Hong Kong government announced today that civil servants would continue to work from home until February 23, and a lot of companies promptly followed suit.

A colleague has told me his eyes hurt from looking too much at the screen, not just for work, but also binge-watching Netflix. Overheard at dinner tonight a woman was supposed to be working from home, but in the afternoon she started watching a Netflix show. Talk about a drop in productivity.

Art Basel has been cancelled this year, changing to the pork

In the meantime events all over the city have been cancelled -- the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Art Basel, and the Hong Kong Ruby Sevens, not to mention a slew of concerts too.

Hotels are hurting terribly, with hardly any guests checking in. Many staff have to start using their annual leave (it's only February), and if they choose to travel, they are also limited in where they can go with many countries and cities imposing quarantine restrictions on people flying in from Hong Kong.

Nowadays to be able to eat in some restaurants you must first be subjected to a temperature check before being shown to your table, same with the cinema, and most people now just wave to each other instead of shake hands or hug. My office has now instituted temperature checks once you walk through the door; then you can get your daily quota of one mask.

A gorgeous hotel room in the Rosewood, but no one staying

A lot of people are still terrified of catching the virus even though in Hong Kong there are now 56 confirmed cases, over 65,000 worldwide, but the vast majority in Wuhan.

Hot pot restaurants are hurting terribly after a number of people related to a family were infected with the virus after gathering for hot pot during Chinese New Year. Restaurants in general are either doing a decent business or dead quiet. A lot of coffee shops are quiet, as their customers are stuck at home and resorting to instant coffee.

Shops and malls are in a sorry state, with everyone obsessed with buying masks, toilet paper and hand sanitizer -- these things are worth more than any name brand clothing. Priorities are now completely health related, which in a way is a good thing, but the paranoia makes people even more scared.

Hot pot businesses are ruined after a family got infected

Perhaps even worse is a lot of these retail staff are going to be laid off through no fault of their own... where are they going to go? There will be fewer jobs going when the coronavirus crisis finally passes in a few months.

Meanwhile there are discussions if you should attend yoga class, and if you do, do you wear a mask? Or how about going to the gym and running on the treadmill?

If anything most people are saving a lot of money from not going out, though they are going stir-crazy at home with not much to do or like my colleague, glued to Netflix. Perhaps even harder are families and trying to keep young children entertained all day, everyday, every week, and the parents trying to do some work.

How much longer can people and businesses sustain this new normal?