Coronavirus: why won’t Carrie Lam shut Hong Kong’s border with mainland China?
- Transport industry disputes claim borders have to stay open so goods can be brought into city
- Professor says partial shutdown is making the situation worse, while questions are raised about Hong Kong’s ability to care for sick
As more countries ban visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong’s government has stuck by its determination to only curb the cross-border flow of people, and not shut checkpoints completely.
In the face of mounting opposition and increasing calls from across the political divide, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has repeatedly dismissed demands for a full border closure, citing logistical and business reasons, and arguing it would be mostly Hongkongers who commute that would suffer.
But transport and public policy experts dispute this, and have argued Lam’s decision was political, not based on necessity and feasibility. And one social administration expert said leaving just a handful of border crossings open risked making the coronavirus outbreak worse, by forcing people to crowd together before entering Hong Kong.
The government’s refusal to impose a full shutdown, in part to protect the flow of goods and vital supplies, was also called a “complete con” by a senior figure in the city’s logistics industry.
