Hong Kong to postpone leadership election

Given the severe pandemic situation, the 2022 chief executive election in Hong Kong will be postponed to May 8, about a month later than the originally slated date of March 27, the special administrative region's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Friday.

Lam said the decision was well-founded and legally based, adding that the government had invoked the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to make the decision and it had been approved by the central government and the Executive Council.

The nomination period, which was scheduled to run from Feb 20 to March 5, will also be changed to April 3 to 16, Lam told a media briefing.

The development came as Hong Kong reported 3,629 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, and 7,600 preliminary positive cases. So far the city's total has reached over 40,000, and over half of the cases were logged during the raging fifth wave of the outbreak.

Lam expects it may take at least two to three months to control the situation. If the election is held as scheduled, it may pose great threats to public health. She added that the strict social distancing measures will also cause great restrictions for the candidates to garner support, which will impair the fairness of the election.

Lam noted that with the nation's support, the government will further ramp up anti-pandemic efforts, including formulating plans for conducting universal community testing. She said the authorities will take into consideration the practices of the Chinese mainland and the Macao SAR on the issue.

The decision received full support from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR. In separate statements, the offices said the decision is in line with Hong Kong's practical needs, and can better protect Hong Kong people's safety.

Also on Friday, Luo Huining, director of the liaison office, held an online meeting to mobilize more social support for the anti-pandemic fight.

During the meeting, Luo said that President Xi Jinping's instructions gave the direction for Hong Kong's anti-pandemic work, boosted society's confidence and provided strong momentum to win the fight.

Recently, Xi expressed great concern about the city's pandemic situation and asked the SAR's government to control the outbreak by all means possible.

Luo noted that Hong Kong has actively responded to Xi's call, citing the recent efforts made by government officials, lawmakers, medical workers, social groups and enterprises.

To control the situation soon, he called on all sectors in the city to contribute what they can to help Hong Kong overcome the pandemic crisis.

Attending the meeting, Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu said the Hong Kong government will go all out to control the pandemic. It will also effectively leverage support from the nation and local communities.

Luo's appeal also received support from participating business leaders and representatives of other sectors, who put forward 16 major initiatives to facilitate the fight.

They pledged to make every effort to guarantee the supply of anti-pandemic materials and daily necessities and maintain stable prices. More hotels will be converted into quarantine and vaccinations centers, and more land will be offered to build quarantine and medical facilities. Various sectors have also donated different resources, including heating equipment, to patients waiting outside hospitals.

On Friday, a group of experts from the Chinese mainland kicked off the second day of their activities in Hong Kong. They inspected the Huoyan testing laboratory and exchanged views with various local anti-pandemic officials and experts.