The Hong Kong government has reversed a one-day ban on restaurants serving customers for dinner that was introduced to control the spread of the coronavirus, following widespread public anger.
All 7.5 million city restaurants were ordered to serve just takeaway food as of Wednesday as part of a series of social distancing measures to combat a new wave of virus cases.
Social media was quickly inundated with photos of most blue-collar workers who ate on pavements and parks, and even inside public toilets to escape a torrential downpour.
Restaurant groups with ties to influential pro-Beijing parties also expressed dismay at the measures, which epidemiologists had encouraged to curb infections.
On Thursday, city authorities released new guidelines saying that restaurants could operate dining facilities, but only during the day, at half capacity and with no more than two people at a table. In the afternoons they should stick to serving only takeaways.
The government said the suspension of meals had brought “inconvenience and difficulty.”
Hong Kong had been a child fond of fighting the virus, with local broadcasts almost finished in early summer. But the virus has returned in recent weeks, drawing tens of thousands of people who were exempt from a mandatory quarantine imposed on most arrivals.
They included international ship and airline crews, as well as businessmen and senior officials traveling to mainland China.
More than 1,500 new infections have been detected since early July, half the total since the virus first came to town in late January.
New daily infections have been above 100 for the past eight days, and the number of deaths has increased from seven to 24 this month.
According to the coronavirus measures, all Hong Kong people must wear face masks outdoors and no more than two people can meet in public.
Many companies, including bars and gyms, have been closed for most of July, while companies have been urged to let employees work from home.
Hong Kong has some of the smallest and most expensive apartments in the world. Some residents barely have a kitchen to cook, making them rely on cheap restaurants.
