The fitness center had little intention of investing in ventilation upgrades, according to veterans, as the industry was hoping for government subsidies.
The second phase of mitigation of social distance measures has been implemented since Thursday to prevent citizens from wearing masks when exercising in a fitness center that meets the requirements for air exchange at least 6 times an hour.
Gordon Nowitzki Yau, chair of the Hong Kong Fitness Guide’s research committee, said that since June, only about 10 percent of fitness rooms are expected to meet the requirements.
Many companies were willing to upgrade their air exchange systems for the foreseeable future, as facilities that meet such requirements would cost tens of thousands of dollars, he said.
He added that he wants the government to be able to cover half the cost.
Yau also said the industry has recovered about 70-80 percent of its business since the fitness center reopened last month. However, it is concerned that it will close again in the event of a sixth wave of the pandemic, and is urging authorities not to close the entire industry if it does occur.
At the same time, bars, pubs and party rooms were allowed to open from Thursday to 2am, with less than 75% of the maximum capacity.
Leonard Ram, chairman of the Hong Kong Party Offices Association, said the industry has received a lot of inquiries after the announcement of the reopening and expects to recover 50-60 percent of the business within three months.
Lam said on a radio show that the industry has made great efforts to reopen, including vaccination of staff and cleaning of the venue.
He is also worried that many operators will reoccur infected clusters in party rooms and are taking additional steps to restore public confidence, including hiring a professional disinfection company. Said.
Ben Leon Lapyan, charter president of the Hong Kong License Bar and Club Association, said the industry has experienced several closures in the last few pandemic waves.
In addition, the closure lasted five months, leaving about 90% of industry players to change jobs.
Also, many were worried that the bar would be closed again in the sixth outbreak, making recruitment difficult in the industry.
Leung also said that past experience has shown that bars can generally recover 50-60 percent of their business after reopening. Meanwhile, the industry wanted to be on par with karaoke, which has an upper limit of 8 customers per table.
He also said that citizens’ consumption patterns are seeing changes under a pandemic and may choose restaurants over bars. Therefore, he was not optimistic about the future.
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