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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Beauty's back after beast of shutdown
Beauty parlors are seeing full bookings in the first and second weeks after they reopen on Thursday in line with the relaxation of social distancing measures, a veteran said.
However, some unvaccinated customers have demanded refunds because they can't enjoy pre-paid treatments under the "no jab, no entry vaccine pass" policy.
Federation of Beauty Industry chairman Nelson Yip Sai-hung said yesterday that the industry has been preparing to reopen after a mandatory closure of 109 days since the fifth wave started in January, and is expecting an overwhelming number of bookings in the next two weeks.
"If beauty parlors are ordered to be closed again, we hope it would only be temporary and there'll be no more punitive closures," he said.
As for the tourism industry, local tours in Hong Kong are expected to resume from Thursday, with no more than 30 guests per tour group on the condition that all working staff are triple vaccinated and conduct rapid antigen tests before the tour.
But tour groups can accomodate up to 100 if all guides and participants are triple vaccinated and rapid antigen tests done prior to the tour.
Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong supported the decision.
Tour groups of no more than 30 are relatively easier to host, Chiu said, so he expected that there will be local tours booked everyday from Thursday onward.
However, he said instructions are currently still unclear for people who have recovered from Covid-19 infections and have yet to be fully vaccinated to join tours.
The tourism industry has suffered the most in the pandemic, as the number of visitors arriving in Hong Kong plummeted 99.8 percent last year. Of the 1,700 tour agencies, 100 had folded in the past two years.
Meanwhile, Thursday will also see dine-in services in restaurants extend to 10pm, with a cap of four diners per table.
Hong Kong Catering Services Management Association chairman Leung Chun-wah said he looked forward to the further relaxation of social distancing measures.
Business for the catering industry has reached only 20 to 30 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and Chinese restaurants have suffered the most.
But Leung expected business in the industry to reach 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels after Thursday.
Federation of Beauty Industry chairman Nelson Yip Sai-hung said yesterday that the industry has been preparing to reopen after a mandatory closure of 109 days since the fifth wave started in January, and is expecting an overwhelming number of bookings in the next two weeks.
"If beauty parlors are ordered to be closed again, we hope it would only be temporary and there'll be no more punitive closures," he said.
As for the tourism industry, local tours in Hong Kong are expected to resume from Thursday, with no more than 30 guests per tour group on the condition that all working staff are triple vaccinated and conduct rapid antigen tests before the tour.
But tour groups can accomodate up to 100 if all guides and participants are triple vaccinated and rapid antigen tests done prior to the tour.
Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong supported the decision.
Tour groups of no more than 30 are relatively easier to host, Chiu said, so he expected that there will be local tours booked everyday from Thursday onward.
However, he said instructions are currently still unclear for people who have recovered from Covid-19 infections and have yet to be fully vaccinated to join tours.
The tourism industry has suffered the most in the pandemic, as the number of visitors arriving in Hong Kong plummeted 99.8 percent last year. Of the 1,700 tour agencies, 100 had folded in the past two years.
Meanwhile, Thursday will also see dine-in services in restaurants extend to 10pm, with a cap of four diners per table.
Hong Kong Catering Services Management Association chairman Leung Chun-wah said he looked forward to the further relaxation of social distancing measures.
Business for the catering industry has reached only 20 to 30 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and Chinese restaurants have suffered the most.
But Leung expected business in the industry to reach 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels after Thursday.
