Coronavirus: top Hong Kong school holds AGM attended by dozens despite social-distancing laws and curbs on public gatherings
- St Paul’s Co-educational College alumni association meets after being exempted from new laws limiting groups to no more than four people
- As a registered company the group was legally required to hold the meeting by Tuesday at the latest
Dozens of people attended a prestigious Hong Kong school’s annual general meeting on Tuesday despite appeals from government advisers to postpone it until the coronavirus threat has passed.
Organised by the alumni association of St Paul’s Co-educational College in Mid-Levels, the event was held two days after laws limiting public gatherings to no more than four people came into force. The body was exempted from those regulations.
About 60 alumni attended the meeting at a ballroom in the InterContinental hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, which can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
The executive committee of the 8,100-strong alumni association witnessed its first contested election since it was established in 1950. Eleven candidates ran for six seats on the committee, underscoring the significance of the event.
According to the results posted on the association’s website on Wednesday night, the five alumni who stood in the election for the first time were defeated by incumbents.
As a registered company, the association was required by law to hold the meeting within nine months of its last financial year ending. As its financial period ended on June 30, the last day that could happen was Tuesday.
