HONG KONG • In an Instagram post on March 27, Hong Kong singer Vivian Chow urged her fans to stay home for their families, friends and medical workers at the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 52-year-old singer also said on Sunday that she cancelled a study trip to Greece and will try not to leave her home if possible.

However, her husband, writer Joe Nieh, did not seem to get her message, as he was spotted shopping with an unknown woman last weekend.

In photos run by Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily on Wednesday, Nieh and the woman were seen together at a mall in Causeway Bay last Saturday evening.

Nieh, 55, and the woman, who looked to be about 30 years old, were wearing face masks and behaving like a couple on a date.

The son of famous science-fiction novelist Ni Kuang, Nieh had his hands behind his back all the time while they were at a shop selling Taiwanese snacks.

They were standing close to each other and laughing heartily while looking at packs of dried mangoes.

In 2008, Nieh was photographed kissing a college student at a club. While he later claimed he had been drunk and did not even know the girl's name, this led to him and Chow, whom he had been dating for 19 years at the time, announcing that they would split.

But to the surprise of many, the couple got back together within a week and tied the knot the following year. They do not have any children.

Chow, who was most active in the 1990s and also acted in several films, released her first EP in 1988 and is known for songs such as Rumours, Beyond Words and The Most Beloved.

She was dubbed the "Jade Girl" for her squeaky-clean image.

She recently held her Long And Lasting Love Concert Tour to celebrate 30 years in show business.