When bar and nightclub owners in Hong Kong met with city officials this month, they expected to hear how the government planned to coax more of the largely resistant population to get vaccinated, with their businesses only allowed to open to inoculated people.
Instead, officials turned the tables — asking them what they were going to do to help boost one of the slowest COVID-19 vaccine take-ups among global cities.
"They only asked us if we have any ideas or plans to boost the vaccination rate,” said Liu Wai, who represents the industry as chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Ballroom and Nightclub Merchants. A fifth of nightclubs have closed down in the five months of closure and the rest are only getting 10% of regular revenue after reopening, he said, making them desperate to see immunization rise.