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| Cinta-J faces two of the virus-infested bars along Jaffe Rd in Wanchai |
A popular Wanchai restaurant favored by Filipinos and their
friends faces a tough time, after reports that the dreaded coronavirus disease
had swept through two adjacent bars across the road.
Cinta-J, which has been in business for more than 30 years,
finds itself at the receiving end of a fallout from the infection that swept
through staff and performers at the now shuttered The Centre Stage and Dusk Till
Dawn bars on Jaffe Road
The two bars, along with Insomnia in Lan Kwai Fong, Central,
and All Night Long in Tsim Sha Tsui, have been identified as the sources of a
cluster infection that has struck down 27 musicians and staff, along with 16
customers.
On Friday, Mar 27 alone, 10 staff and a performer at Dusk
and Insomnia were reported as having contracted Covid-19, along with nine
patrons.
The reports appear to have spooked customers of Cinta-J, a
restaurant-bar across the road that serves both Indonesian and Filipino food,
and also provides live entertainment at night.
“Dati laging puno ng tao rito, kahit lunchtime, lalo na
kapag araw ng Biyernes tulad ngayon,” said Jackie Flores, a 38-year-old
waitress at Cinta-J, said.
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| Flores, left, and a fellow waitress, sit amid an empty Cinta-J restaurant |
She said that before the contagion, the restaurant would
normally have dozens of office workers lining up to eat or order take-out food
for lunch.
At night, the place would be even more crowded, with many
people coming in to listen to their in-house band perform starting at 6pm.
But on this day, Flores , along
with two other staff, were the only people in the eatery.
“Ngayon ay wala na sila, walang dumarating simula kanina,”
she said referring to lunchtime.
She said customers would usually start arriving at around
3pm for some snacks and drinks. Many would stay on for the performances of their
all-Filipino band that belts out a wide range of songs, from English and
Tagalog ballads, to classic and modern rock.
Guests would pour in until late at night, especially for
their favorite part, when band members would start accepting song requests, or
invite members of the audience to sing along.
Sunday is usually the busiest day at Cinta-J because many
Filipinos migrant workers hankering for food from home gather there to
celebrate special occasions, or just to meet up, dance and sing.
That, too, has changed since Hong Kong
was hit by the coronavirus infection, and the government advised migrant
workers to stay at home on their rest day. Many employers seized this as an
opportunity to stop their helpers from taking their usual Sunday off.
But the biggest whammy came on Mar 25, when a record five
musicians who played in Insomnia and the two bars, along with a waitress, were
included in the day’s list of new Covid-19 infections.
“Bale dalawang araw na kaming zero,” said Flores .
She said the crowds began thinning after the first band
member tested positive on Mar 23.
“Kitang-kita ng mga customer namin noong pinuntahan ng
ambulansya ng mga taga-Health Department ang dalawang bar na iyan,” Flores said.
Health workers also went up to the band members’ flat in
Hang Shun Mansions just above the two bars, to disinfect the place. Many of the
performers, who were mostly recruited from the Philippines
At lunchtime on Mar 27, very few people were on Jaffe Road
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| Both Dusk till Dawn and Centre Stage have been boarded up after the outbreak |
Inside the shuttered bars, two or three people could be seen
moving behind the translucent window panes of Dusk Till Dawn.
Asked if they were employees of the bar, Flores
said they were health workers disinfecting the entire pub after cleansing the
Centre Stage.
The same grim picture emerged over at Lan Kwai Fong, where
Insomnia, identified as the epicenter of the biggest outbreak in the
entertainment scene, stands forlorn, its dim, empty interior watched over by a
stone sculpture of a horned head.
Its entrance, once a place to be seen in the most popular
nightspot in the city, is now blocked by two decks of wooden bar stools, lined up behind a pair of green plastic chains.
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| Once the place to be in Lan Kwai Fong, Insomnia is now shuttered after disinfection |
A sign in front says, “Due to the pandemic, we are closed
until further notice. Keep safe and healthy.”
The sad saga of what was once one of Hong
Kong ’s favorite bars may not be over yet.
But they have also been quick to say that the source of the
outbreak has not been determined, so there should be no finger-pointing, or
laying blame on anyone.
The musicians, the food servers and other staff, are the
least to blame for the outbreak. They are, in fact, victims. They got struck
while doing their jobs.
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