Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s public transport hit hard by Omicron outbreak, with patronage down 40 per cent
- Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan says tightened social-distancing measures have affected livelihoods in industry
- Many transport companies have cut down services in light of new restrictions
In a weekly blog post on Saturday, Chan said the city’s tightened social-distancing measures had affected livelihoods, as many of the industry’s self-employed drivers had suffered significant income losses.
The latest round of social-distancing restrictions, which came into effect on Thursday, are the city’s toughest measures yet. Under the new rules, public gatherings have been limited to two people.
Chan added that the government would soon reveal details about the sixth round of anti-epidemic funding, totalling HK$26 billion (US$3.3 billion), but did not specify whether the transport industry would be among the beneficiaries.
“The most effective way to contain the coronavirus infections is by cutting down the people flow,” he said. “Since the fifth wave outbreak, it was necessary to impose social-distancing measures, which have hit the initial recovery of the transport industry.”
