Hong Kong government gets more time to prepare case against High Court ruling that mask ban is unconstitutional
- Pro-democracy camp unhappy with delay, says courts should act decisively to overturn face covering prohibition
- Government is appealing against ruling declaring ban invalid, with hearing set for January
The Hong Kong government has obtained a further reprieve until next month over the controversial ban on face masks, which was ruled unconstitutional last week.
A day after government lawyers asked for more time, the High Court on Wednesday extended the period before the invalidation of the ban takes effect.
Acting chief judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor and Court of Appeal vice-president Johnson Lam Man-hon granted an “interim interim temporary suspension order” and told the parties involved to file submissions before the court makes a further decision on December 10.
Their order was seen by the Post in a letter to 25 pan-democrats who successfully mounted the judicial review of the mask ban introduced to stop protesters from covering their faces in public.
The pro-democracy camp expressed disappointment over Wednesday’s ruling, saying the courts should set aside the anti-mask law decisively.