Hong Kong court strikes down blanket ban on coronavirus masks
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A blanket ban on face masks in Hong Kong was ruled unconstitutional by a top appeals court Thursday, months after anti-government protests and at a time when much of the world is using them to combat the coronavirus.
The Hong Kong Court of Appeal partially overturned a lower court ruling, finding a ban on masks at public gatherings unconstitutional. The court, however, upheld the ban if worn at unlawful assemblies, Reuters reported.
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“If the meeting and procession remain peaceful and orderly, it is difficult to see the justification for imposing a restriction on the freedom of demonstration by way of prohibition of wearing facial coverings,” the court said.
The decision comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen a worldwide surge in the wearing of face masks as governments enact containment measures -- including requiring face masks be worn outside -- to slow the spread of the virus.
Many pro-democracy demonstrators wore masks during months of protests that riled Hong Kong late last year in opposition to China's growing influence in the semi-autonomous region.
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During the height of the protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam enacted a measure banning face masks, which were worn by demonstrators to hide their faces from authorities and to protect themselves from tear gas, according to the news outlet.
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The ban was ruled unconstitutional in November 2019 and appealed by Beijing.