Coronavirus: Hong Kong to slash border travel as virus spreads

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ommuters arriving in Hong Kong wear facemasks as they pass the cross boundary restricted area inside the high-speed train station connecting Hong Kong to mainland China. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

 

A trade union representing medical workers in Hong Kong is demanding the government shut down its border with China to prevent the spread of Wuhan coronavirus.

In a statement, the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said while it agrees with the measures announced by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, it demands a refusal of all entries to Hong Kong via China. The group also called for the government to publish numbers of passenger flows entering Hong Kong via China.

The trade union, which says it represents 6,000 medical workers in Hong Kong, is threatening to strike if the government does not shut its border with China to prevent the spread of the virus.

What Lam said earlier: Lam on Tuesday said that the government will "temporarily" close some of its borders with mainland China and travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists will stop being issued.