A local café owner spoke to The Macau Post Daily yesterday about the destructive effects of the current COVID-19 outbreak and this week’s tightened control measures by the government on his restaurants.
The interviewee surnamed Wong is a co-owner of three cha chaan tengs (traditional Hong Kong and Macau-style cafés). The interview was conducted yesterday afternoon in one of his restaurants in Bairro da Horta da Mitra.
Devastating impact on business
“There is no doubt that the pandemic has a negative effect on most businesses. Since the new outbreak, my average business volume has dropped to under 40 percent, and on Monday the volume only reached 20 percent compared to business before the new outbreak,” said Wong. He added that he had been losing money every day since the current outbreak.
“The daily spending is still the same. Right now there is no subsidy for electricity and water, and food wholesale distributors still charge the same,” said Wong.
He also mentioned that his landlord helped his predicament by reducing the planned 20 percent increase in rent to “merely” 10 percent for the next tenancy agreement.
Wong said that he was also frustrated by the government’s “10 billion [pataca] financial support measure” due to the lack of details. In addition, he doubted that the measure could even relieve the short-term stress caused by the pandemic since giving out tens of thousands of patacas would have little effect on his business. Concrete economic recovery policies would be much more welcome, he added.
Wong said that a few of his non-resident workers (NRWs) from the mainland were willing to work fewer days to reduce costs. Instead of working for the whole week, his workers currently have a day off every two working days due to the diminishing number of customers. Nonetheless, the workers are still paid 90 percent of their normal wages monthly, he pointed out.
Even more devastating for NRWs
“I genuinely feel bad for my fellow workers, you know, they are the most disadvantaged group during the pandemic,” said Wong, adding: “Because there is no government policy to help them, every restriction during the pandemic hits them the most.”
“They have to pay for their own nucleic acid tests (NATs) to work in the restaurant. They have to pay for hotels if they cannot find a flat to stay in Macau. They are also facing more difficulties to continue working in Macau, because the government is trying to reduce the number of NRWs to ensure job opportunities for the locals,” said Wong.
“As responsible owners, we have been subsidising their accommodation since the current outbreak. Nonetheless, this situation cannot last forever,” said Wong, adding: “If the restrictions persist, it will be a lose-lose circumstance. I will have no choice but to fire them, and it is also immensely difficult to find locals to replace them.”
Café owner Wong poses during an exclusive interview yesterday afternoon in one of his eateries in Bairro da Horta da Mitra. Photo: William Chan
