Change in dining rules explained

July 30, 2020

Under Secretary for Food & Health Dr Chui Tak-yi:

For the question about dining-in. In mid-July, that is about two weeks ago, the Government introduced a new or modified the regulation on the management or arrangement in catering business operations with the purpose of reducing social contact. So at that time, the new measure stopped dining-in in the evening to early morning. Because of the situation in Hong Kong about the COVID-19 infection being still severe and the number of new confirmed cases for the past one week still staying above 100 every day, there is a need to further tighten this measure along the lines of operations in the catering business sector. So we started a new regulation yesterday banning whole day dining-in. After the implementation of this new measure, the Government realised the inconvenience and difficulty faced by people who have to go to work and then they cannot find a proper place to eat. So we responded to this immediately and think we have to modify the measure as soon as possible so that those people who have to work in the daytime and have no proper or better place to dine have more choice to have their meal during their working hours. So that's why we immediately issued a modification in the measure and that measure will take place as early as tomorrow morning, starting from 5am.

The implementation of the policy or the planning of the further enhancement of this measure is based on the observation of the severe outbreak situation and also the persistently high (number of) confirmed cases, so there's a need to tighten the measure. And of course after implementation of the new measure for a day, we really realised the difficulty and trouble that is faced by the people who still have to work, so what we need to do is to actively respond and modify the measure as soon as possible. 

We realised the implementation and also the peripheral measures that may be necessary for this new measure may not be the best arrangement. So I think the proper way we have to respond now is to make adjustments to this new measure so that people who go to work and have the need to take a meal outside will have a better choice.

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government has addressed the needs of the public not working from home by allowing catering businesses to resume daytime dine-in services starting July 31.

Under Secretary for Food & Health Dr Chui Tak-yi made the statement at a press briefing today and explained the reason behind the initial decision to implement a round-the-clock ban on providing dine-in services.

“In mid-July, that is about two weeks ago, the Government introduced a new or modified the regulation on the management or arrangement in catering business operations with the purpose of reducing social contact. So at that time, the new measure stopped dining-in in the evening to early morning.

“Because of the situation in Hong Kong about the COVID-19 infection being still severe and the number of new confirmed cases for the past one week still staying above 100 every day, there is a need to further tighten this measure along the lines of operations in the catering business sector.

“So we started a new regulation yesterday banning whole day dining-in.”

He said once the Government reviewed the new measure's implementation, it decided to promptly modify it to address the needs of the people affected.

“After the implementation of this new measure, the Government realised the inconvenience and difficulty faced by people who have to go to work and then they cannot find a proper place to eat.

“So we responded to this immediately and think we have to modify the measure as soon as possible so that those people who have to work in the daytime and have no proper or better place to dine have more choice to have their meal during their working hours.

“So that's why we immediately issued a modification in the measure and that measure will take place as early as tomorrow morning, starting from 5am.”

He pointed out that by modifying the dine-in ban, anyone working away from home will have more options when taking their meals.

“We realised the implementation and also the peripheral measures that may be necessary for this new measure may not be the best arrangement.

“So I think the proper way we have to respond now is to make adjustments to this new measure so that people who go to work and have the need to take a meal outside will have a better choice.”