HONG KONG BANS EATING AT ANNUAL FOOD EXPO

Thousands of visitors and hundreds of exhibitors will attend the five-day food Expo starting next Thursday in the city’s convention and exhibition Centre. But visitors will not be allowed to sample the delicacies because of coronavirus curbs, the organizer said.

‘’We understand that visitors would like to taste the samples’’ Chong said. It’s a second year in row there will be no tasting areas and attendees must wear masks on due to public health restrictions, according to Sophia Chong, acting CEO of the expo organiser.  

The decision was announced a day after the government said fans at Novembers Hong Kong sevens will be allowed to drink but eat in the stands, with masks having to be worn. ‘’We hope we can resume this arrangement after the pandemic, when its safe and hygienic to do it.’’

Chong said they were not concerned by the measures’ impacts on the exhibition as it would be the second year of the tasting ban.

“The number of exhibitors participating in this year’s Food Expo actually exceeded that of last year,” Chong said. A new round of HK$2,000 ($255) consumption vouchers will be distributed to most of the 7.5 million Hong Kong residents from Sunday, which is expected by the expo organiser to boost visitors’ appetites for shopping. Hong Kong has been strictly adhering to China’s zero-Covid policy, enforcing some of the world’s most severe restrictions for more than two years, including mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals and a ban on group gatherings of more than four people in public places.

In recent weeks, the city has been recording 3-4,000 daily infections, prompting fears of a resurgence after more than 1.2 million residents fell sick and 9,300 died in the first four months of this year.