No food stalls again at Lunar New Year fairs
The government on Wednesday said anti-epidemic measures will again be put in place in the Lunar New Year fairs in January, with no dry goods stalls or food stalls allowed. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said there will only be wet good stalls for flower growers in 15 fairs across the city, which will run from January 16 to 22. "Under the epidemic, it remains the case that the 2023 [Lunar New Year] fairs will not provide dry goods stalls," it said in a statement.  "At the same time, no fast food stalls will be provided to avoid increasing the risk of virus transmission through removing masks for eating." Food stalls have not been allowed at fairs since 2021. The government also announced that stall workers must be fully vaccinated against Covid. They're also required to take a rapid antigen test before the start of the fairs and every three days during the weeklong period. A total of 922 stalls will be put up for auction in batches starting November 9.