Coronavirus: Hong Kong Medics Strike Demanding Closure Of Mainland China Border
Hundreds of Hong Kong hospital workers pushed ahead with a strike starting Monday, demanding total closure of the city’s borders with mainland China to reduce the risk of the new Coronavirus spreading. Hong Kong has reported 15 cases of diseases so far.
The first strikers were “non-essential” staff but a health workers’ union said if demands were not met, frontline workers including doctors and nurses will walk out on Tuesday.
"If there is no full border closure, there won't be enough manpower, protective equipment, or isolation rooms, to combat the outbreak," Winnie Yu, chairwoman of the newly-formed Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said. Authorities, however, resist complete sealing of the border, arguing that doing so would be discriminatory, economically damaging and go against the advice from the World Health Organisation. Instead, the city government has suspended cross-border rail and ferry services. The outbreak is rapidly spreading across the world, including in China, where 17,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 316 deaths have been reported so far. Meanwhile, India has confirmed the second case of coronavirus from Kerala.
"If there is no full border closure, there won't be enough manpower, protective equipment, or isolation rooms, to combat the outbreak," Winnie Yu, chairwoman of the newly-formed Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said. Authorities, however, resist complete sealing of the border, arguing that doing so would be discriminatory, economically damaging and go against the advice from the World Health Organisation. Instead, the city government has suspended cross-border rail and ferry services. The outbreak is rapidly spreading across the world, including in China, where 17,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 316 deaths have been reported so far. Meanwhile, India has confirmed the second case of coronavirus from Kerala.
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