The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department today announced that catering businesses affected by the tightened social distancing measures may apply for financial relief under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund from today until February 18.

Under the fund’s Catering Business Subsidy Scheme, eligible licence holders of general restaurants, light refreshment restaurants, marine restaurants and factory canteens will be provided a subsidy ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 according to the floor areas of the premises as specified on their licences.

The scheme is expected to help over 17,600 catering outlets.

Karaoke establishments, nightclubs and bars or pubs that are directed to close the whole of the licensed premises as directed under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirement & Directions) (Business & Premises) Regulation, are eligible to apply for an additional $25,000 subsidy.

For food factory licence holders in food courts inside shopping malls, a subsidy ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 will be granted according to the licensed area of its premises. About 1,700 licensees are expected to benefit from the scheme.

As for cooked food/light refreshment market stall tenants as well as people holding a hawker licence and operating a cooked food business in public housing developments, each tenant or licensee may apply for relief in the amount of $25,000, aiding about 1,000 operators.

Separately, the Commercial Bathhouse Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme will provide a subsidy of $50,000 to each eligible licence holder of a commercial bathhouse.

Meanwhile under the Places of Public Entertainment Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme, except for cinema operators, a $50,000 subsidy will be given to each eligible holder of a places of public entertainment licence, and a $10,000 subsidy to each eligible holder of a temporary places of public entertainment licence.

Around 50 commercial bathhouses and 570 entertainment premise licence holders will benefit, the department said.

The approved subsidies will be disbursed by crossed cheques to the correspondence addresses of the licensed premises registered in the department, it added.

Furthermore, the Government announced a new round of the Cinemas Subsidy Scheme under the Anti-epidemic Fund. It will provide a subsidy of $50,000 per screen to each existing cinema licensed as a place of public entertainment with commercial operations in December last year. The maximum grant for a cinema circuit is $1.5 million. Applications will open from tomorrow until January 31.

The One-off Grant to Registered Sports Coaches scheme, relaunched under the Anti-epidemic Fund, will be open for application from January 20, providing a one-off grant of $5,000 for each eligible registered sports coach.

Sports coaches registered under National Sports Associations or recognised sports organisations who had provided coaching services from January 1 to December 31 last year can submit applications to the Leisure & Cultural Services Department's Sports Funding Office by February 28.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department will offer the ex-gratia payment to those directly engaged by the department, or sports coaches and staff hired by National Sports Associations or sports organisations subvented under the Sports Subvention Scheme, or sports coaches engaged through the Direct Purchase Authority Management System to provide services.

The payment is equivalent to the amount of their original full remuneration for the cancelled programmes scheduled from January 7 to February 3 this year.

The department will provide the ex-gratia payment to instructors and speakers of seminars and workshops organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries and cultural venues part-time ushers and part-time ticketing assistants.

The Fitness Centre Subsidy Scheme under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund will open for applications on January 20. The application deadline is February 28.