Hong Kong to close ports, border checkpoints with China to contain coronavirus

Citizens of Hong Kong have demanded its officials to close their border with China entirely.

Hong Kong will close more border checkpoints with China in order to ward off the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has already claimed more than 360 lives in the mainland.

Supporters of medical workers hold a flash mob protest to back their strike to demand Hong Kong closing its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading, in Hong Kong, China. (REUTERS)

The city will close some of its busiest ports effective midnight Tuesday, including Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Huanggang, and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a briefing Monday. She said China has already stopped issuing visas to Hong Kong as part of the containment effort.

The new measure would leave only three border checkpoints remaining in operation: Shenzhen Bay port, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and the airport, Lam said, stopping short of announcing a full border closure with the mainland, despite pressure from Hong Kong’s public. A local health workers’ union began a five-day strike Monday after her government refused their demand to shut all entry points from China.

“In this critical time, using these extreme measures would add more burden on the Hospital Authority. I cannot accept this method,” Lam said in response to the strike. “It’s extremely unfavorable to our disease control efforts and the interest of patients.”

Last month, Lam said Hong Kong would stop individual travelers from the mainland from coming into the Asian financial hub. Hong Kong has shut the busy high-speed rail connecting it to China and pared the number of flights from the mainland in order to contain the virus from spreading further.