Hong Kong will postpone the election of its next leader until May 8 as it grapples with a worsening coronavirus outbreak with thousands of new infections daily.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Friday the election will be delayed six weeks from March 27 because holding the polls as originally scheduled would pose “public health risks” even if a committee of only 1,462 people is involved.
Hong Kong’s leader is elected by a committee made up of legislators, representatives of various industries and professions, and pro-Beijing representatives such as Hong Kong deputies to the Chinese national parliament.
Several candidates including film producer Checkley Sin and Titus Wu, a former member of Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment political party, have confirmed their intention to run. It is not clear if Lam will run for reelection.
Lam also said there were plans to test the entire city of Hong Kong for Covid-19, but denied that it would be put under a strict lockdown even as the city pursues a “zero Covid” approach.
“Mandatory testing and a complete city lockdown may not need to go hand in hand. It depends on the actual situation,” she said. “In our case, having examined the unique situation in Hong Kong, we’ll probably just go for universal testing of everyone, but testing more times.”
She cited as an example Macao, which has tested its entire population twice for the virus.
Health authorities said Thursday that the city’s hospitals were at 90% capacity and that its isolation facilities were full. Hong Kong’s daily new cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time on Monday. On Friday, over 3,600 new local infections were reported.
Hong Kong has aligned itself with mainland China’s strict “zero-Covid” policy that involves quarantining incoming travelers, total lockdowns, extensive contact tracing and mass testing of millions of people.
Lam has stuck to the same strategy despite the city’s greater population density, higher incomes and more service-oriented economy than in mainland China. Last week, the entire upscale Discovery Bay neighborhood in Hong Kong was ordered to undergo testing after authorities found traces of the virus in its sewage. MDT/A
Election postponement necessary: Beijing
The postponement of the election for the Chief Executive of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was necessary, sensible and legitimate, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Friday.
HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam earlier on Friday announced that the election, originally scheduled for March 27, would be postponed to May 8 due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
The HKSAR government’s decision to postpone the election in accordance with the law shows its sense of responsibility concerning the health of Hong Kong residents and its determination to control the epidemic by all means necessary and as quickly as possible, and the central government fully supports the decision, the office said in a statement.
As the epidemic situation in the HKSAR has deteriorated quickly, President Xi Jinping is deeply concerned with the safety and health of the Hong Kong compatriots, and pays close attention to the region’s fighting the epidemic, according to the statement.
Demonstrating the principle of putting people and their lives front and center, the decision will help the HKSAR government unite the society in concentrating on battling the Covid-19 epidemic, the office said.
The decision will also help make sure the election will take place under fair, just, open and safe conditions, and is in line with Hong Kong’s overall and long-term interests, it added. MDT/Xinhua
