HK declares virus emergency
HONG KONG (Reuters) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam yesterday declared a virus emergency in the Asian financial hub, announcing a package of measures to limit the city’s links with mainland China.
Schools, now on Lunar New Year holidays, will remain shut until Feb. 17, while inbound and outbound flights and high speed rail trips between Hong Kong and Wuhan will be halted.
Lam said all official visits to the mainland and official Lunar New Year celebrations would be scrapped immediately.
She added that she had sought assistance from China’s State Council to ensure that ongoing mask supplies were adequate.
They may also ask universities to extend holidays, too.
Lam’s statements came hours after she returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos and amid broader tensions as her team grapples with at times violent antigovernment protests that have rumbled on for seven months.
“I hereby urge all citizens to stay united to fight against the epidemic to protect all Hong Kong people’s health and safety,” Lam said.
She added that it would be impractical to shut down all border crossings with the mainland.
Some protesters have rallied against growing interference from Beijing seeking to curb the city’s freedoms while others have expressed fear over greater integration with the mainland.
The city’s health authorities have confirmed five coronavirus cases, all linked to Wuhan, where the virus first appeared, with a further 122 people being treated as suspected of having the disease.
The first case was confirmed on Wednesday, a 39-year-old man visiting from Wuhan who crossed by high-speed rail from neighboring Shenzhen.