About 50,000 elderly Hong Kong residents will receive coupons in July and October, enabling them to purchase breakfast or afternoon tea for HK$15 (US$2) as part of a government-funded initiative.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han announced on Friday that participants would receive six coupons next month, which can be used to buy breakfast at a discounted price of HK$15 at branches of six taking part restaurant groups: Fairwood, Cafe de Coral, Tai Hing, Maxim’s, McDonald’s, and Ngan Lung Restaurant.

“We hope the coupons will also help lure the hidden elderly to come out,” he said, citing those not known to community networks who were identified through 214 centres for the aged across the city.

The authorities previously launched a similar scheme in the first quarter of this year, offering elderly residents meals like baked pork chop rice and fish burgers for HK$25 at designated restaurant groups.

Those coupons were valid from the beginning of Lunar New Year until the end of March.

Sun said that the coupon usage at that time was around 76 per cent.