Pressure mounted on Carrie Lam administration on Saturday to ban arrivals from the mainland with a pro-Beijing Liberal Party also issuing a statement, calling for an immediate closure of the boundary and warning lack of such action will see the city by ostracised by the world.
The open letter signed by former and current leaders of the party, including Felix Cheung, James Tien, Miriam Lau and Selina Chow, urged the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, to shut the border to stop the possible passing of the new coronavirus from the mainland into Hong Kong.
This came as a union of hospital employees said they will be going on a strike from Monday if the border is not closed urgently.
“There is no time for procrastination. Never forget the Sars tragedy of the Amoy Gardens. The deaths could have been prevented if the officials at the time acted before it was too late. Our government is running that risk now,” the letter said.
The strongly-worded letter also expressed sympathy with frontline medical workers, who vow to go on strike over the government's refusal to close all borders.
“They are tasked to protect Hong Kong, but the uncertainty of the threat posed by the virus together with the increasing number of cases of infected Mainlanders have inevitably cause them to question why they are placed in this position."
"No self-righteous talk by yourself or the government would persuade them that the interest of Hong Kong people is given top priority, not to mention their own survival!” it told Lam.
“It is only by doing so that Hong Kong will not be seen by the world as a city where we allow the transmission of the virus from China. Anything short of that resolve will run the risk of ostracising Hong Kong from the rest of the world.”
The Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, said on Friday that closing all borders or banning visitors from the mainland are not in line with advice given by the World Health Organisation.
Minutes after Lam finished her media briefing on Friday, Singapore said it was banning all arrivals from the mainland. Later in the night, the United States said it will also bar anyone who has visited China in the last 14 days.
- Home
Act before it is too late, Liberal Party tells CE
2020-02-01 HKT 23:02
2020-02-04 HKT 00:44
2020-02-03 HKT 23:28
2020-02-03 HKT 17:14
2020-02-03 HKT 16:28
2020-02-03 HKT 16:23
2020-02-03 HKT 15:15
2020-02-03 HKT 14:00
2020-02-03 HKT 13:13
2020-02-03 HKT 12:52
2020-02-03 HKT 09:43
2020-02-02 HKT 21:52
2020-02-02 HKT 17:51
2020-02-02 HKT 16:35
2020-02-02 HKT 14:45
2020-02-02 HKT 11:59
2020-02-02 HKT 11:39
