The stalls at Ki Lung Street wet market, Sham Shui Po, were already shuttered before the Observatory raised the Black Rainstorm signal Tuesday morning. School suspensions and MTR service adjustments followed within the hour. For residents of subdivided flats who cannot work from home, the signal is a calculation with no right answer: wait and lose the day's wage, or leave and arrive soaked. Current Labour Department guidance does not require employers to compensate the hours blocked by the signal.

The Observatory lowered the signal by early afternoon. The stalls reopened. Whether Tuesday's blocked hours count against a day-rate worker's pay depends on the contract clause, not the signal that cleared the morning street. The Labour Department last updated its Black Rainstorm pay guidance in 2019; the 2026-27 Policy Address did not name it as a review item.