Police have arrested 17 people in connection with roadblocks, rail obstructions, and unrest yesterday intended to push the government to close the border with the mainland amid fears over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
Ming Pao reports that 17 people, aged 13 to 26, were arrested yesterday for allegedly erecting makeshift roadblocks and throwing objects onto the tracks of the rail line servicing one of Hong Kong’s largest mainland border crossings, along with other acts of alleged vandalism.
The actions came in response to calls for a “general strike” aimed at pressuring the government to completely shut the border. Though the strike didn’t achieve the critical mass of similar events at the height of the city’s protest movement last year, police told the newspaper that incidents yesterday also included petrol bombs being thrown at Tin Shui Wai and Kwai Chung police stations.
The newspaper reports that of the 17 arrested, 12 are minors, and that seized items included spanners and pliers. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapons and “possession of instrument fit for unlawful purpose.”
The arrests come after health officials confirmed yesterday evening that an elderly couple had tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 10.
The couple — a man and woman aged 73 and 72 — are Wuhan residents and arrived in Hong Kong on January 22 by plane.
They stayed at two hotels in the city and were sent to Queen Mary Hospital on Tuesday, after falling ill. The woman had a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, while a scan of the man’s lungs showed signs of problems.
The officials said that they are trying to get in touch with family members for more information, and are also reaching out to the hotels the couple stayed in, adding that cleaners and people who stayed in the room the couple stayed in may be classified as “close contact” cases.
The Centre for Health Protection said that they have identified 451 cases that meet the reporting criteria for the new virus. Of the 451 reports, 276 have been ruled out, with the remaining 167 pending investigation.
Meanwhile, Apple Daily has reported that two doctors from the Prince of Wales Hospital have reported pneumonia symptoms after caring for patients infected by the Wuhan coronavirus. The newspaper added that the two had been wearing protective gear while treating the patients, and have now been quarantined. Results as to whether or not they have been infected are expected later today.
With fears over the new pneumonia-linked coronavirus running off the rails, supplies of face masks are running out quickly across the city, and even some grocery store shelves were empty as people stocked up on other goods.
This morning, live feeds showing long queues of people trying to get their hands on the very few boxes of masks left. One resident told on.cc via a Facebook live that he had been queuing outside a Watsons store inside the Dragon Centre in Sham Shui Po since 3am, waiting seven hours for the store to open. When the store finally opened, an employee informed everyone that they had run out of masks and asked people for their phone numbers, saying they would call them when more were available.
Another video report from RTHK shows angry residents kicking a shutter out of frustration after a Watsons inside a mall in Tin Shui Wai told people they only had 20 boxes of face masks left. Police had to be called in to calm people down.
Similar scenes took place on Wednesday morning, with hundreds of people were seen lining up outside pharmacies to get their hands on face masks, sanitizer gel, and wet wipes, with some people on the live feeds complaining about the quick depletion of stocks and accusing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng and her administration of driving the panicked hunt for masks.
