Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Ghana Today
  • Home
  • News
    A Great Asset For Ghana Football: Ghanatoday.net

    A Great Asset For Ghana Football: Ghanatoday.net

    Breaking News: Sellas Tetteh resigns as head coach of Sierra Leone – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results: Ghanatoday.net

    Two cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ghana: Ghanatoday.net

    Two cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ghana: Ghanatoday.net

    Govt tightens border checks as coronavirus spreads: Ghanatoday.net

    COVID-19: Ghana confirms two cases: Ghanatoday.net

  • Politics
    Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

    Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

    Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

    Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

    Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

    Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

    The spirit of Rawlings will see NDC through Supreme Court petition

    NPP knows I’m a big threat to them, they shiver when I move

  • Entertainment
    Pulse Picks: Top 10 entertainment stories that defined 2020 [ARTICLE]

    Pulse Picks: Top 10 entertainment stories that defined 2020 [ARTICLE]

    From Manny Pacquiao to Shirley Temple: Seven celebrities who swapped the entertainment industry for politics

    From Manny Pacquiao to Shirley Temple: Seven celebrities who swapped the entertainment industry for politics

    At CES 2020 Panasonic Demonstrates the Future

    At CES 2020 Panasonic Demonstrates the Future

    Christabel Ekeh pictures, biography, boyfriend ▷ YEN.COM.GH

    Christabel Ekeh pictures, biography, boyfriend ▷ YEN.COM.GH

  • Lifestyle
    SSi Canada Partners with SES Networks to Deliver New Satellite Capacity into Northern Canada

    SSi Canada Partners with SES Networks to Deliver New Satellite Capacity into Northern Canada

    How 29-year-old Kelvin Mensah became a successful private jet broker

    How 29-year-old Kelvin Mensah became a successful private jet broker

    Thousands of players and staff will be furloughed if football is shutdown – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

    38 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2021

    38 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2021

  • Africa

    More than 10 countries in Africa report COVID-19 cases

    The Dance: the South Africans who finish high school against all odds | Global development

    Facebook, Twitter suspend Russia-linked operation targeting African Americans on social media – News – MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

    Facebook, Twitter suspend Russia-linked operation targeting African Americans on social media – News – MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

    The fight for west Africa’s fish

    The fight for west Africa’s fish

  • Business
    COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

    COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

    Ghana Football Association signs on Woodin as Official Textile Partner – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results-Ghanatoday.net

    Ghana government to issue bonds worth GH¢22.3b in first quarter-Ghanatoday.net

    Akufo-Addo lifted Lockdown because he thinks about NPP first- Suhuyini

    Akufo-Addo was forced to reduce govt size due to disappointment in 120 ministers-Ghanatoday.net

  • Viral News
  • Videos
    I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

    I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

    GhMeansBiz with Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong on Election 2020: what is at stake? – 3 Dec 2020-ghanatoday.net

    GhMeansBiz with Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong on Election 2020: what is at stake? – 3 Dec 2020-ghanatoday.net

    FIRST TIME HEARING Toto – Africa (Official Music Video) REACTION-ghanatoday.net

    FIRST TIME HEARING Toto – Africa (Official Music Video) REACTION-ghanatoday.net

    Eeii! You cant màke Ghana w@r zòne & make Tracy Boakye happy. Ken fìres Mahama&NDC-ghanatoday.net

    Eeii! You cant màke Ghana [email protected] zòne & make Tracy Boakye happy. Ken fìres Mahama&NDC-ghanatoday.net

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    A Great Asset For Ghana Football: Ghanatoday.net

    A Great Asset For Ghana Football: Ghanatoday.net

    Breaking News: Sellas Tetteh resigns as head coach of Sierra Leone – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results: Ghanatoday.net

    Two cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ghana: Ghanatoday.net

    Two cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ghana: Ghanatoday.net

    Govt tightens border checks as coronavirus spreads: Ghanatoday.net

    COVID-19: Ghana confirms two cases: Ghanatoday.net

  • Politics
    Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

    Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

    Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

    Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

    Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

    Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

    The spirit of Rawlings will see NDC through Supreme Court petition

    NPP knows I’m a big threat to them, they shiver when I move

  • Entertainment
    Pulse Picks: Top 10 entertainment stories that defined 2020 [ARTICLE]

    Pulse Picks: Top 10 entertainment stories that defined 2020 [ARTICLE]

    From Manny Pacquiao to Shirley Temple: Seven celebrities who swapped the entertainment industry for politics

    From Manny Pacquiao to Shirley Temple: Seven celebrities who swapped the entertainment industry for politics

    At CES 2020 Panasonic Demonstrates the Future

    At CES 2020 Panasonic Demonstrates the Future

    Christabel Ekeh pictures, biography, boyfriend ▷ YEN.COM.GH

    Christabel Ekeh pictures, biography, boyfriend ▷ YEN.COM.GH

  • Lifestyle
    SSi Canada Partners with SES Networks to Deliver New Satellite Capacity into Northern Canada

    SSi Canada Partners with SES Networks to Deliver New Satellite Capacity into Northern Canada

    How 29-year-old Kelvin Mensah became a successful private jet broker

    How 29-year-old Kelvin Mensah became a successful private jet broker

    Thousands of players and staff will be furloughed if football is shutdown – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

    38 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2021

    38 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2021

  • Africa

    More than 10 countries in Africa report COVID-19 cases

    The Dance: the South Africans who finish high school against all odds | Global development

    Facebook, Twitter suspend Russia-linked operation targeting African Americans on social media – News – MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

    Facebook, Twitter suspend Russia-linked operation targeting African Americans on social media – News – MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

    The fight for west Africa’s fish

    The fight for west Africa’s fish

  • Business
    COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

    COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

    Ghana Football Association signs on Woodin as Official Textile Partner – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results-Ghanatoday.net

    Ghana government to issue bonds worth GH¢22.3b in first quarter-Ghanatoday.net

    Akufo-Addo lifted Lockdown because he thinks about NPP first- Suhuyini

    Akufo-Addo was forced to reduce govt size due to disappointment in 120 ministers-Ghanatoday.net

  • Viral News
  • Videos
    I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

    I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

    GhMeansBiz with Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong on Election 2020: what is at stake? – 3 Dec 2020-ghanatoday.net

    GhMeansBiz with Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong on Election 2020: what is at stake? – 3 Dec 2020-ghanatoday.net

    FIRST TIME HEARING Toto – Africa (Official Music Video) REACTION-ghanatoday.net

    FIRST TIME HEARING Toto – Africa (Official Music Video) REACTION-ghanatoday.net

    Eeii! You cant màke Ghana w@r zòne & make Tracy Boakye happy. Ken fìres Mahama&NDC-ghanatoday.net

    Eeii! You cant màke Ghana [email protected] zòne & make Tracy Boakye happy. Ken fìres Mahama&NDC-ghanatoday.net

No Result
View All Result
Ghana Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics
New Epidemic Hits at Hong Kong’s Political Divide – The Diplomat

New Epidemic Hits at Hong Kong’s Political Divide – The Diplomat

January 29, 2020
in Politics


Advertisement

The rapidly growing outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus is adding fuel to the fire of anti-mainland sentiment in Hong Kong. The disease, which originated in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province, hit hard in a city that remains deeply divided over the scope and state of its relationship with the central government in Beijing.

Fears of Chinese encroachment have long existed in Hong Kong, but these concerns reached a boiling point last summer over a proposed change that would allow Hong Kongers to be extradited to mainland China. The bill provided a catalyst to long-simmering concerns that Hong Kong’s judicial independence was being eroded. The resulting massive protests, the largest of which saw more than 1 million participants, were met with a harsh police response, including the use of tear gas and rubber bullets. That sparked further outrage and accusations of police brutality. Protests of varying scale continued nearly every weekend since June 2019, with demands growing to encompass investigations of the police response and universal suffrage in elections for Hong Kong’s legislators and chief executive.

Amid that turbulent environment, the Wuhan coronavirus reached Hong Kong in early 2020.

According to the latest figures, mainland China has reported over 4,600 cases and 106 deaths. Hong Kong has eight confirmed cases and 100 patients in quarantine, health secretary Sophia Chan said at a press conference on Tuesday. The Hong Kong government has declared the outbreak an “emergency” situation and is refusing entry to anyone who has visited Hubei province within the past 14 days (Hong Kong residents are excepted). Group tours from China have also been suspended.

To many Hong Kongers, though, the government has not done enough. There is growing pressure on the Hong Kong government to close border crossings with the Chinese mainland entirely. Medical faculty members at the Chinese University urged the government “to restrict immigration policies as early as practicable, including broadening the scope of restrictions to any region stricken with the outbreak other than Hubei.” Considering that the disease has now been reported in every province of China except for Tibet, that would amount to a near-ban on travelers from the mainland. In addition, the hospital workers’ union gave the government until Tuesday to bar entry from mainland China, threatening a strike if its demands were not met.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

The outbreak has ironically brought the pro-democracy and pro-establishment camps together in their disapproval of the government response. Both pro-democracy parties and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-establishment party, have called for a temporary shutdown of the border with the mainland. “Special circumstances require special measures,” DAB leader Starry Lee Wai-king said. “The government should consider closing the border.” Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai likewise urged a closure: “Hundreds of thousands of people enter Hong Kong through mainland’s borders every day. If we’re not closing the border, we may not be able to stop the virus from spreading,”

In a press conference on Tuesday, however, Chief Executive Carrie Lam rebuffed those calls. “If we close the border and do not let anyone coming in and out of Hong Kong, the impact will be far-reaching,” she said.

Instead, Lam announced that railway and ferry service linking Hong Kong to the mainland will be suspended as of midnight Thursday and flights between Hong Kong and the mainland will be cut in half. Hong Kong will also cease issuing travel permits for individuals from the mainland, following its previous ban on group tours. Six of 14 border checkpoints are to be closed, although the South China Morning Post notes that together those six checkpoints handled less than 8 percent of cross-border travelers in 2018.

Advertisement

Hong Kong will also have government employees work from home in a bid to stop the disease from spreading. Public facilities, such as sports centers, swimming pools, museums, libraries, and performance venues, will be closed indefinitely.

Lam emphasized that all these moves were made with “the approval of the central government” in Beijing. “I thank the central government for supporting our work in this aspect and the relevant mainland ministries and commissions for cooperating with us,” she said.

The need for Lam to stress unity with the mainland was a sign of how the outbreak is playing out in Hong Kong’s public sphere. The crisis taps into existing negative sentiments in Hong Kong: the perception of a creeping mainland Chinese “invasion,” particularly to take advantage of Hong Kong’s healthcare system; pervasive distrust of the central government; and lack of faith in the Hong Kong government to protect Hong Kongers’ interests over Beijing’s.

Frustration spilled over into violence on Sunday night when protesters set an empty public housing estate in Fanling ablaze as part of a demonstration against plans to use the buildings as a quarantine zone.

Diplomat Brief

Weekly Newsletter

N

Get first-read access to major articles yet to be released, as well as links to thought-provoking commentaries and in-depth articles from our Asia-Pacific correspondents.

Subscribe Newsletter

Ma Ngok, an associate professor of political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told the New York Times that pro-establishment locals had joined the protest in an unusual development. “They ostensibly support the government, but when it came to using their neighborhood for quarantine, they came out and blocked the roads,” Ma said.

The quarantine plan was suspended after the incident, although the government said it plans to have officials attend the local district council meeting Wednesday “to explain and discuss on this issue.” Similarly, after public outrage the government had to scrap plans to offer free medical treatment to anyone with the coronavirus; Lam confirmed that  hospitals will charge all non-Hong Kong residents for their care.

The current outbreak has special resonance in Hong Kong because of its similarities to the SARS epidemic of 2003, which killed 299 people in the city and infected 1,755. Then, as now, Hong Kong was the first to see the disease outside of mainland China; also like SARS, the Wuhan coronavirus arrived in Hong Kong at a time when the Chinese government was being accused of covering up details and withholding information. SARS left a deep mark in Hong Kong and many are especially vigilant about the Wuhan coronavirus for that reason.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

Bolstered by a lack of trust in the central and Hong Kong governments, rumors are running rampant on social media. Some posters claim, without evidence, that mainland visitors are lying to avoid quarantine or walking out of hospitals without being cleared. There are also conspiracy theories, such claims that the new coronavirus strain is a biological weapon that escaped from a facility in Wuhan.

Lam scolded those spreading “ridiculous” rumors. “This misinformation will eventually hurt society,” she said. “One of the examples is that I would use Hong Kong’s resources to help China to fight the virus … I strongly condemn people who spread such rumors.”





Source link

Tags: all ghana newscelebrity news ghanacitinewsroomcurrent affairs issues in ghanadaily graphic jobsdaily graphic today page 30daily guide newspaper headlines todayentertainment news in ghanagh webghana electionsghana government factsghana news sitesghana news todayghana news today latestghana political historyghana political partiesghana political systemhot gossip in gh todayhttp peace fm sports newsjoy news liveKeywordlatest news in ghanamodern ghana musicmodern ghana sportsmodern ghana tvmost educated president in ghanamyjoyonline latest news for todaymyjoyonline news latestmyjoyonline news todaymyjoyonline sportsndc congress 2018 resultsndc elections resultsndc parliamentary primaries 2019ndc presidential primaries 2018peace fm contactpeace fm kokrokoopeace fm online entertainment today newspeacefmonlinepeacefmonline latest news todaypeacefmonline picturespolitical issues in ghanapolitical newspolitics in ghana pdfpulse ghanastarrfmonlinethe most learned president in ghanatrending political issueswho is the head of the legislature in ghanawww myjoyonline com politicswww peacefmonline com politicsyen news educationyen.com downloadyen.com.gh news today
Previous Post

African All Stars Transfer News and Rumours: Premier League trio chasing ex-Arsenal star Adebayor

Next Post

Akufo-Addo’s 307 ambulances unique – Allotey Jacobs praises: Ghanatoday.net

Next Post
Politicians, relations must be first casualties if violence breaks out in Ghana – Allotey Jacobs

Akufo-Addo’s 307 ambulances unique – Allotey Jacobs praises: Ghanatoday.net

Apple’s iPhone 11 and AirPods help company hit a new revenue record-Ghanatoday.net

Apple’s iPhone 11 and AirPods help company hit a new revenue record-Ghanatoday.net

NPP’s Hopeson Adorye, others scammed by serial fraudster

NPP’s Hopeson Adorye, others scammed by serial fraudster

Advertisement

Recent News

Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

January 19, 2021
0
Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

January 19, 2021
0
Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

Political Violence and Racial Inequality in America

January 19, 2021
0
The spirit of Rawlings will see NDC through Supreme Court petition

NPP knows I’m a big threat to them, they shiver when I move

January 19, 2021
1
COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

COVID-19 blues: Businesses on red alert-Ghanatoday.net

January 19, 2021
0
I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

I will kill myself if Akua Donkor ever becomes president of Ghana – Kumchacha-ghanatoday.net

January 19, 2021
0
Tunisia’s political class is ‘disconnected from reality’

Tunisia’s political class is ‘disconnected from reality’

January 19, 2021
0
ADVERTISEMENT

About Us

Welcome to Ghanatoday.net. Your premium website which brings you all the news from different Ghanaian news platforms. We appreciate all the sites which have contributed immensely to make this website a possibility.

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Politics
  • Videos
  • Viral News

Recent News

Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

Most in Germany, France, UK say U.S. political system needs changes

January 19, 2021
Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

Uniformed military fingered in Manso Forest illegal mining; providing cover for Chinese

January 19, 2021

Copyright © 2019 Ghanatoday.net. All rights reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Africa
  • Business
  • Viral News
  • Videos

Copyright © 2019 Ghanatoday.net. All rights reserved

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.