Hong Kong (AFP) – Visitors to Hong Kong’s annual international gourmet food show will no longer be allowed to sample delicacies due to coronavirus restrictions, the organizer said on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of exhibitors are expected at the five-day Food Expo starting next Thursday at the city’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
But for the second year in a row, there will be no tasting areas, and all participants must wear masks in accordance with public health restrictions, according to Sophia Chong, acting director of the exhibition’s organizer, the Business Development Council.
“We understand that visitors would like to taste the samples,” Chong said.
“We hope to resume these arrangements after the disaster, when it is safe and sanitary to do so.”
The decision was announced a day after the government said fans at November’s Hong Kong Sevens would be allowed to drink but not eat in the stands, with masks worn between drinks.
Chong said he is not worried about the impact of the measures on the show as it is the second year of the ban on the taste.
“The number of exhibitors participating in this year’s Food Show is more than last year,” said Chong.
A new round of HK$2,000 ($255) consumer vouchers will be distributed to most of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents from Sunday, which the fair’s organizer hopes will boost visitors’ appetite for shopping.
Hong Kong has strictly adhered to China’s zero-covid policy, enforcing some of the world’s toughest restrictions for more than two years, including a mandatory quarantine for immigrants and a ban on group gatherings. more than four people in public places.
In recent weeks, the city has been registering 3-4,000 infections a day, prompting fears of a rebound after more than 1.2 million residents fell ill and 9,300 died in the first four months of this year.
