Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Florists have till Friday to decide on joining Lunar New Year flower fairs

Florists have till Friday to decide on joining Lunar New Year flower fairs

They will also have to submit by Friday details of their staff members taking part in the Lunar New Year event.

Hong Kong florists would have until Friday to decide whether to accept Covid-19 restrictions imposed on them if they joined the coming Lunar New Year fairs, officials said at a briefing session on Wednesday.

Among a string of conditions, the traders will have to close their stalls during the meal hours of 1pm to 2pm, and 6pm to 7pm, to make way for clean-up and disinfection operations. The fairs will run from 9am to midnight every day.

The events will operate this year at half capacity. Lots will be drawn early next week to choose winners for stall bids. Officials said they would ensure all bidders who won multiple stalls in the previous auctions were allocated at least one slot, or up to three.

On January 8, the government announced that the week-long fairs – to be held from February 6 – would not go ahead as planned because of the pandemic, sparking public outcry and complaints from flower farmers and traders.

The government made a U-turn on Tuesday and said the fairs would go ahead at the 15 venues as originally planned but some restrictions would be imposed in light of the pandemic.

More than 200 flower traders and farmers attended the 90-minute briefing held by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Sheung Wan Sports Centre on Wednesday.

While some traders complained about the timing of the clean-up, which they claimed would cut short their operating hours, many attendees found the new arrangements acceptable.


The government said on Tuesday the fairs would go ahead at the 15 venues as originally planned but some restrictions would be imposed due to the pandemic.


They will have to confirm by Friday whether they accept the new arrangements. Those taking part in the fairs will also have to submit details of their staff members by Friday. The staff must produce a negative Covid-19 test result at least two days before the fairs start.

One of the traders, Poon Chak-kwan, operator of Poshan Garden, said: “Many traders are already very happy that the government has agreed to lift the ban. At least, we can now open stalls and make some money, instead of incurring an absolute loss.”

Poon said he understood the need for anti-pandemic measures and closing the fairs during the lunch and dinner hours.

“There have always been fewer visitors during meal times. The government can use the two hours to clean up the venue, while we can also take meal breaks,” said Poon, who had earlier successfully bid for two stalls at the fair in Tsuen Wan.

But peach blossom tree seller Lau Hoi-to, who initially planned to set up about 16 stalls in Victoria Park, was unhappy that only up to three stalls could be allocated. “If the stalls are not in close proximity or next to each other, that would be a big problem. One stall can only accommodate three peach blossom trees,” he said.

He also wanted the government to extend the operating hours during Lunar New Year Eve and the two days before that so they could catch more last-minute shoppers.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vivian Lau, director of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said in a radio interview that fair-goers should leave the venues soon after buying flowers, instead of hanging around for too long.

“There will also be designated entrances and exits and visitors will have to check temperature,” Lau said.

“There has so far been no decision by public transport companies about the arrangements of their service during the festival. For example, if the MTR does not run overnight, it does not seem very sensible for flower fairs to operate after midnight. Therefore, our plan now is to end the fair by midnight.”

Lawmaker Steven Ho Chun-yin, who represents the agriculture and fisheries sectors, also said he had not received any complaint from flower traders about the new arrangements. “Most of them are just praying that the pandemic does not get worse and the government does not ban the fairs again.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×