Virus Scare Empties Malls on World’s Priciest Shopping Strip
- Hong Kong retailers cop second blow after protest-plagued year
- Causeway Bay shopping mecca deserted as locals stay home
In an almost deserted mall, the few shoppers hurry past wearing face masks. In the luxury stores, sales assistants, also in masks, outnumber customers -- if they have any at all. To pass the time, staff chat with each other or play with their phones.
This isn’t a scene from some dystopian movie. Instead, it’s Tuesday afternoon in Hong Kong’s usually bustling Times Square, a 17-floor mega-mall in the heart of Causeway Bay, home to the world’s most-expensive retail strip.