Hong Kong finance chief expects turnaround to take six months

A delivery man walking in the deserted street in the usually busy entertainment area of Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong on Sunday (April 5) due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The Centre for Health Protection reported 28 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally in Hong Kong to 890. - AFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong could take six months to reverse the economic effects of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday (April 5), adding that the government will offer "comprehensive” aid to protect businesses and jobs across all industries as the outbreak’s impact spreads through the economy.

The retail and tourism sectors were initially among the hardest hit by the pandemic but the effects have now spread to "virtually all industries,” Chan wrote in his blog on Sunday.