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| Last year's May Day rally: organizers say they can maintain social distancing even while marching |
Hongkongers might be getting a respite from the spread of the coronavirus, but they are in for another kind of worry in the coming days, as rights activists clash with police on whether rallies could be held in line with social distancing rules.
An independent appeal board rejected today, Apr 29, a
proposal by the Confederation of Trade Unions to hold the usual May Day rally this
Friday, May 1.
Appeal board head Christopher Chan said the march could pose
a “serious threat” to public health and safety.
This was despite an assurance from the organizer, the
Confederation of Trade Union, that they will ask marchers to keep a safe
distance of between 2 or 3 meters, or even to wear protective goggles.
CTU chairwoman Carol Ng said a ban on protests would deprive
workers of their rights to express how the virus has hit them hard.
But government counsel Louie Chan said the police had the responsibility
to ensure that protesters and citizens were not at risk.
“The 3,000 to 3,500 marchers have to assemble at a location
for a certain period of time before starting the march,” he said. “Solid
evidence shows that the virus can easily spread in crowded places.”
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Supporters of the union say the appeal board’s decision set
a dangerous precedent, in that police can now stop rallies on the excuse of
protecting public health.
The pro-democracy camp is now planning several
mass actions ahead of the June 4th anniversary of the crackdown on Tienanmen Square China
Since last week, several small protests have
been held on Hong Kong island, in the wake of
the arrests of several prominent pro-democracy leaders.
At noon today, a handful of people resumed their
so-called “Lunch With You” protest in Central, after a break of about 4 months.
Police dispersed the crowd without making any arrest.
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| Lunchtime protests are usually held in this part of Central |
Meanwhile, today marked the fourth day in a row that no new
Covid-19 case was detected in Hong Kong ,
prompting health authorities to cancel their daily press briefing again.
The total tally stands at 1,037, with the number of confined
patients dropping to just 204, after 20 were discharged today after recovering
in public hospitals. The death toll remains at 4.
Elsewhere in the world, the virus has continued to spread,
with the total global tally of cases now at well over 3 million, with a third
of them being recorded in the United
States
However, the daily rate of infection is highest in Russia , with more than 5,000 cases; and Spain
The death rate, however, has gone down considerably in the
past week across most of Europe and the US
