The outbreak of the Coronavirus in mainland China is having a ripple effect in Hong Kong, where a protest against the Communist Government of Mainland China is going on since June last year. The Chinese puppet government in Hong Kong was very lenient on the immigrants from the mainland China and even offered free treatment- at the cost of Hong Kong’s taxpayers- of the people suffering from Coronavirus through public healthcare systems of Hong Kong.
However, the leniency of the Hong Kong government has led to massive protest throughout the city. The pro-democracy and pro-establishment group came together to protest against the HK government’s lenient repose, and they are demanding a complete ban on immigration not only from Wuhan- the capital city of Hubei province of China and epicentre of the viral outbreak- but also from the parts where the virus has spread.
Given the fact Corona has spread throughout mainland China except for the province of Tibet, the protestors demand would translate into a complete ban on immigration from mainland China.
The citizens of Hong Kong are concerned about the spread of the Coronavirus, as eight cases have already been reported in the city. However, no life causality has been reported in the city. On the other hand, in China, more than 4,000 cases have been reported and above 150 have died due to virus, as per the latest figures.
Coronavirus has reminded the people of Hong Kong of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic of 2003, which spread from mainland China, and because the Hong Kong government had not taken enough measures to control immigration from mainland, it affected the city badly. 299 people died and 1,755 were infected from SARS due to the Hong Kong government’s leniency.
The fear of 2003 like situation has brought together the pro-democracy and pro-establishment groups; and this is happening for the first time since the late 90s, when the administration of Hong Kong was given to China by the British, under One Country, Two Systems principle.
On both groups coming together, Ma Ngok, an associate professor of political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said, “They ostensibly support the government, but when it came to using their neighbourhood for quarantine, they came out and blocked the roads.”
So far, only six of the 14 entry points, which handle only 8 per cent of the total traffic, have been closed. The protestor groups and citizen groups are demanding a complete ban on entry from the mainland. “Hundreds of thousands of people enter Hong Kong through the mainland’s borders every day. If we’re not closing the border, we may not be able to stop the virus from spreading,” said Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai.
Starry Lee Wai-king, leader of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-establishment group who is also supporting the complete ban of entry from Hong Kong, despite its leanings towards the Communist government of China, said, “Special circumstances require special measures.”
The outbreak of the Coronavirus has brought together pro-democracy and pro-establishment groups, and both are opposed to the Chinese government’s plan to push the people from the mainland to Hong Kong for treatment. This is a very dangerous pandemic and health crisis for China, and in the backdrop of 6 month-long protests against China’s moves to encroach Hong Kong’s autonomy, it will give oxygen to the separatist groups.