HONG KONG: About 100 Hong Kong restaurants have shut down because of the months-long protests in the city, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post today.
Around 2,000 employees have been affected as a result of the closures, Chan said in the Chinese-language post, citing the catering industry.
He didn’t provide further details. Some retailers have also had to reduce the number of stores or cut back on staff, and several recent sport and entertainment events have had to be cancelled for security reasons, Chan said.
Chan urged property owners and developers to follow the lead of railway operator MTR Corp in offering rent relief to affected retailers.
He said Airport Authority Hong Kong is also considering assistance to tenants.