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| Junel's had its grand re-opening at its new location in January this year |
The
day before the Hong Kong government decided to clamp down on karaoke bars to
stop a surge in Covid-19 cases, the owners of Junel’s Resto-Bar in Sai Ying Pun
decided to put away their treasured microphones and song books.
That
was because of reports that came out that day that five people who got together
at a karaoke bar in Tsim Sha Tsui all tested positive for the coronavirus
disease.
“Mabuti
na yung sigurado, para sa amin din iyon,” says 63-year-old Julia Mangrobang,
who, with her husband Alvin, run Junel’s, a favorite sing-along place of many
Filipino migrants and expatriates in Hong Kong for more than a decade.
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On
Wednesday, two more people in the group that sang together at the TST bar were also
found infected, prompting Hong Kong officials to order the closure of all karaoke
lounges for the next 14 days.
For
Mangrobang, the order did not come as a surprise, especially after a big
cluster of infections were reported earlier in several bars across Hong Kong
where mostly Filipino band members played.
It
was only a matter of time before the karaokes, where people not just talk close
to each other because of the noise but also share microphones, were also hit by
the pandemic.
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“Noon
pa naman, sinasabi ko na na laging lagyan ng takip ang mga microphone, kasi
madaling mabugahan yan ng mga kumakanta,” she says.
Thus,
as soon as they heard that a karaoke lounge had taken a hit from the virus,
Julie and Alvin decided to stop the singing in their resto-bar, and just serve
food.
They’re
lucky because many of their customers go to their place not just for the
singing, but also for the home-cooked Filipino dishes that they serve. In fact,
many patrons go to them for just a quick lunch, or to order take-away.
It
is their take-home service that has helped keep them afloat since the virus began
making its presence felt in the city, says Julie.
Since
early March, she says many people have stopped coming by to party at her place.
The numbers declined further when news broke that several musicians and staff
of Insomnia in Lan Kwai Fong and two other bars in Wanchai, began testing
positive for Covid-19.
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| Julie inside the bar she started in 1999 |
As
a result, Julie says her regular customers, mostly Westerners who used to pack
Junel’s on Friday and Saturday nights, began staying away.
Filipinos,
too, who used to come on other days – professional workers who preferred
weekday nights - and migrant workers who would come on their Sunday day-off, both
for lunch and dinner.
Business
got so bad that on a weekday night recently, all she made was $135, Julie says.
On
Sunday, Mar 29, the last time she opened her bar to karaoke patrons, only four
people came, and the only amount that went into her cash register was $844.
That
came as a bit of a shock to Julie whose avid supporters helped her raise enough
fund last year so she could move and refurbish a new place, after her landlord at
the former Junel’s site in the same neighborhood had jacked up the rent.
Junel’s
moved to its new location on On Ning Lane in August last year, but had its
grand opening night only in January this year, with a huge crowd to cheer it
on.
But
just a scant two months after, business is almost at a standstill. Julie says people
still come to eat, but most are in no mood to linger. “Eat and run lahat,” she
says.
But
she’s well aware that the contagion is real, and may linger for a while. She
relates that some family members in the Philippines have been unable to visit
since a travel ban for Hong Kong-bound tourists was imposed by the Manila government
in early February.
“Nakailang
rebook na ako ng ticket nila,” she shares. “Kailan kaya sila pwedeng makapunta
dito?”
Recently,
she says an ambulance came to take away a guest at the nearby Best Western
Hotel, possibly someone under quarantine who just returned a positive result
for Covid-19.
But
like most small business owners in Hong Kong who have had to deal with the
double whammy brought on by the raucous anti-government protests in the second
half of last year, and now, the virus, Julie is prepared to hunker down for the
leaner days ahead.
Having
seen how her community of karaoke lovers had come around to help keep her bar
afloat, Julie knows that when the days are better, she can again count on them
for support. Definitely, with karaoke back on the menu, so they can again sing
the blues away.
