Omicron: lawyers suspect rule breaches at birthday party attended by top Hong Kong officials and lawmakers
- Party photos show unmasked guests, big crowd, which lawyers say indicate breach of pandemic rules
- Questions raised over large number of senior officials who went to wish Witman Hung a happy birthday
The controversy over Monday’s big party attended by dozens of Hong Kong officials and lawmakers in the midst of an outbreak of Covid-19 cases has raised questions about possible breaches of pandemic rules.
Lawyers who examined photographs of the event said the signs indicating criminal offences included guests chatting unmasked, the failure to use the “Leave Home Safe” exposure alert application and the large crowd that was present.
Thirteen government officials and 20 lawmakers were among 170 guests ordered on Friday to be quarantined for 21 days at the Penny’s Bay camp, after at least two Covid-19 cases were detected at the 53rd birthday party of Witman Hung Wai-man, a city delegate to the National People’s Congress.
About 170 people were present at the Spanish tapas bar and restaurant Reserva Iberica in Wan Chai on January 3.
Most of the officials who were there maintained that they had only dropped in briefly to greet birthday boy Hung, leaving some observers to say it was unlikely that civil service protocols were breached.
Late on Friday, city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced an investigation into the 13 officials who attended.
They included Director of Immigration Au Ka-wang, home affairs chief Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) chief Simon Peh Yun-lu.