Maxim's closes two restaurants as two staff fall ill

Maxim's says it is closing two stores for disinfection after staff were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Image: Shutterstock

The restaurant group Maxim's announced on Monday that it has closed two of its outlets for disinfection, after two of its employees were confirmed to have the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan.



The pair both participated in a barbecue and hot pot dinner in Kwun Tong on January 26 involving 19 members of the same extended family, of whom 11 have since been diagnosed with the virus.



One of them was confirmed to have the disease on Sunday, the other was one of two new cases on Monday.



Maxim's said it was temporarily closing down the two branches the pair work at, in Mong Kok and Central.



Staff at the branches have been told to self-isolate although none are showing any symptoms. Both branches were disinfected on Sunday and will remain closed for two weeks.



Maxim's said it had strengthened hygiene arrangements at all of its branches, including requiring staff to wear masks and undergo temperature checks each day. The company said it had suspended business travel to the mainland.



The company is Hong Kong's biggest catering operation with more than 900 outlets under a range of brands.



Separately, the Centre for Health Protection said a 69-year-old man, who hadn't travelled outside Hong Kong in the past two weeks, had also been infected.