In Hong Kong, the Coronavirus Strikes a Wounded City

This week the organizers of Art Basel Hong Kong, a major event in the arts world, said they would cancel the event.

While the global reaction may be extreme, the threat can feel real in such a densely populated city, where apartments and offices are stacked on top of each other, sometimes 40 stories or more.

On Wednesday, managers of a Hong Kong skyscraper called Kowloon Commerce Center said someone who worked there had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The building’s other tenants include Bank of America, the Swiss bank UBS, the phone giant China Mobile and international shipping companies.

The sudden isolation only adds to the economic pain. For months, antigovernment protesters have filled the streets to demand that the pro-Beijing government give them greater say in how the city is run and to protest the Chinese government’s growing sway. Violence and tear gas already scared away many mainland tourists and business visitors.

Jewelers, luxury retailers and cosmetics shops that catered to mainland tourists are closing outlets. Restaurants have closed and hotel rooms are vacant. Unsurprisingly, unemployment is on the rise.

“This is a postprotest, frying-pan-into-the-fire situation for a lot of Hong Kong retailers,” said Robert Cooper, founder of Enoteca, a restaurant catering to the business community.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/business/hong-kong-coronavirus.html?emc=rss&partner=rss