Second round of Subsidy Scheme for Beauty Parlours, Massage Establishments and Party Rooms to open for applications on October 23

     The Government will launch the second round of the Subsidy Scheme for Beauty Parlours, Massage Establishments and Party Rooms under the Anti-epidemic Fund on October 23 (Friday). The application period for the second round of the Scheme will run from October 23 to November 1 (Sunday).

Online application
 
     Beauty parlours, massage establishments and party rooms that had suspended operation pursuant to the closure order issued by the Government under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) will be eligible for the Scheme. In line with the arrangement for the first round of the Scheme, a dedicated website (bmpsubsidy.gov.hk) will be set up to receive applications online. Applicants may only submit applications and supporting documents through this website. The online application system will commence operation at 9am on October 23. The deadline for application is 11.59pm on November 1.

     As in the first round of the Scheme, beauty parlours, massage establishments and party rooms operated by social enterprises (SEs) are also eligible for the Scheme. During the application period, SE operators which have obtained business registration should file their applications through the Scheme's dedicated online application website. SE operators without business registration should directly approach the Hong Kong Council of Social Service via its hotline (2864 2993) or email (sebc@hkcss.org.hk) to obtain its certification and submit their applications.

     To streamline the application procedure, a fast-track arrangement is in place for eligible beauty parlours or massage establishments which have successfully applied under the first round of the Scheme. Such applicants will not be required to provide business information and all supporting documents afresh in tendering their applications. After they input their application number under the first round of the Scheme and their business registration number on the online application system, the system will automatically retrieve their essential business information submitted under the first round of the Scheme. Applicants will only be required to confirm the accuracy of the information retrieved and provide additional address proof as specified under the Scheme to demonstrate that they are still in active business. The Secretariat will then determine the appropriate levels of subsidy that the applicants are eligible for based on the number of employees as confirmed in the previous approval records. The same fast-track arrangement will also apply to party rooms.

     As for businesses which have not applied under the first round of the Scheme, businesses which have applied under the first round but are pending the appeal results, and businesses which have successfully applied under the first round with changes in business information, they will have to submit fresh applications through the online application system.

Subsidy amount
 
     Each eligible beauty parlour or massage establishment will receive a one-off subsidy depending on its number of workers:
 

     The maximum subsidy amount for beauty parlour or massage establishment chain stores operated by a single entity under the same business registration is $1.5 million.
 
     Each eligible party room will receive a one-off subsidy of $20,000.
 
     A sum of $350 million is earmarked under the Fund for the second round of the Scheme, which is expected to benefit some 11 000 beauty parlours and massage establishments and about 500 party rooms. It is expected that the subsidy could be disbursed from late this month onwards.

Information and enquiries
 
     Details of the eligibility criteria, the terms and conditions of the applications and Frequently Asked Questions will be presented on the application website of the Scheme. Applicants are advised to go through this important information before submitting applications. A dedicated telephone hotline (1836 188) and email (info@bmpsubsidy.hk) will commence operation at 9am tomorrow (October 22) to handle enquiries on the details of the Scheme.