Protest shadow over coronavirus? Hong Kong civic groups banned from using district council funds to purchase yellow and black masks for mass distribution
- Pro-democracy councillors say colour restriction is associated with anti-government protests that have gripped Hong Kong since June last year
- But Home Affairs Department says masks should be light-coloured so users can easily spot stains, though it fails to explain why yellow is not a light colour
Civic groups in Hong Kong have been banned from using district council funds to purchase yellow and black masks for mass distribution, despite a citywide shortage of the protective gear amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Pro-democracy councillors told the Post the colour restriction was associated with the anti-government protests that had gripped the city since June last year, but the Home Affairs Department said masks should be light-coloured so the users could easily spot stains on their surface.
The coronavirus, which causes the disease known as Covid-19, has so far infected more than 90 people in the city, killing two. The crisis has prompted some district councils, dominated by pro-democracy councillors, to allocate funds to apolitical civic groups to enhance residents’ protection against the disease.
Since the coronavirus outbreak erupted in Hong Kong in January, residents have been seen scrambling for supplies of protective gear, such as masks and sanitisers. Even though the supplies increased in February, the products are being sold at such a high price that they have mostly been beyond the reach of the low-income families or the elderly.
The Sham Shui Po District Council’s Working Group on Healthy and Safe Community on February 17 allocated HK$1.3 million (US$167,000) to eight organisations to procure and distribute the protective gear or to organise events to raise awareness of the deadly disease.