Orders for flower bouquets to celebrate Valentine's Day will at least be halved amid the coronavirus outbreak, flower vendors have estimated.

With many people working from home and few going out for celebrations, flower shops have received few orders of flower bouquets, some even getting no orders, said Sunny Lai Wing-chun, chairman of the Hong Kong Wholesale Florist Association.

He also said prices have plummeted this year, with the price of a bouquet of 10 roses dropping to HK$300 from the usual HK$400 to HK$600.

Elizabeth Tse Wong Siu-yin, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Flower Retailers Association, also expected sales would drop 30 to 50 percent compared to last year.

"Many people don't need to go to work [in the office] this year, so business is worse than last year. Some people also lost their jobs so they won't spend money on flowers. The atmosphere is not very good and some couples may not want to go out to celebrate," Tse said.

She also said the cost of flowers has increased as many shops have to sell south American roses as flower markets in the mainland are closed.

Couples can spend less on a Valentine's Day dinner this year, as a steak house in Causeway Bay offers a set of steak and French fries for HK$150.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, expected the restaurant business on Valentine's Day will drop off by at least 50 percent compared to last year.

"Due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are not many reservations this year," he said, adding some customers have canceled their bookings in the last few days.

Eric Chong, the manager of a Western restaurant in Kwun Tong, said Valentine's Day reservations have dropped 30 percent compared to last year.

Apart from the Valentine's Day set menu, he said, customers can also order a la carte.

Meanwhile, masks and hand sanitizers are the most desired Valentine's Day gift this year, according to a matchmaking company's survey.

The company, HK Romance Dating, found that out of 572 men and women surveyed from mid-January to this month, 32 percent of men and 30 percent of women said they wanted to receive masks and hand sanitizers for presents.

About one third of respondents also said they would celebrate the day at home in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Couples are also afraid to go to hourly hotels during the epidemic. The owner of an hourly hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Au, expected that business would fall 90 percent this year, despite the hotel has stepped up the cleaning of rooms and facilities.

Health authorities also gave advice to couples on preventing an infection on Valentine's Day.

The head of communicable diseases at the Centre for Health Protection, Chuang Shuk-kwan, said people should avoid crowded places.

"We understand it's hard to completely refrain from intimate contact, especially between people who live together. It's difficult to maintain social distance all the time," she said.

"But if you're sick, don't go to meet-ups and wear masks when you head out."

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