Coronavirus: thousands of Hong Kong hospital workers back strike to demand closure of border with mainland China

Various hospital workers’ groups rail against government’s refusal to close all checkpoints along boundary with mainland China

Pro-democracy Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, which has 18,000 members, votes in favour of industrial action as early as Monday

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The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance held an extraordinary general meeting at the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity, near Kowloon City. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 8:51pm, 1 Feb 2020Updated: 10:40am, 2 Feb 2020

Thousands of Hong Kong doctors, nurses and hospital employees have voted for a strike which could begin as early as Monday, to press the government to close all borders with mainland China amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The pro-democracy Hospital Authority Employees Alliance announced that, of 3,156 eligible votes cast on Saturday, 3,123 were in support of the strike, while only 10 people voted against, and another 23 abstained. There were eight invalid votes.

The alliance warned of more action if officials do not heed their demands.

The escalation came as various hospital workers’ groups piled pressure on the government over its response to the deadly infection, which first broke out in mainland China’s Hubei province.

Carrie Lam previously ruled out a full closure of the mainland border. Photo: Winson Wong

Health chief Sophia Chan Siu-chee shed tears earlier in the day, as she voiced concern over the possible strike, while Hospital Authority chairman Henry Fan Hung-ling urged the 18,000-strong alliance, which was formed in December, to think again.

A day earlier, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insisted she would not accede to demands to close all mainland border checkpoints, citing the World Health Organisation’s warning against discriminatory measures, following a partial closure of six out of 15 border checkpoints earlier this week.