Hong Kong: Trade unions threaten strikes for border closure to curb virus outbreak

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, trade unions including hospital and railway employees in the semi-autonomous state of Hong Kong have issued a threat to go on strike. According to reports, the unions have threatened to go on a striker unless and until the government shuts down the border with China in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The viral outbreak has claimed 170 lives in China with 7,711 confirmed cases.

Government's decision to shut down services not enough

Carrie Lam issued an order to suspend rail and border ferry services connecting Hong Kong and China from midnight on January 30. However, the trade unions stated that the measures undertaken by Lam were not enough. A union, Railway Power, which represents nearly 500 workers of the metro operator MTR Corp, stated that many of their colleagues were in a state of panic due to the viral outbreak of the disease.

According to reports, the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA) said that it was in agreement to the steps undertaken by the former British colony's government but wanted them to cordon off the entire border with mainland China. The HAEA further added that there is a lot to be done in terms of undertaking preventive measures.

According to reports, Hong Kong has confirmed 10 cases of coronavirus with one person in critical condition. Carrie Lam said that it will be an impractical decision to close down the entire border with mainland China.

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The appearance of initial symptoms is 5.2 days on average

The Chinese National Health Commission on January 30 said that the total number of casualties from the coronavirus stands at 170 and the number of confirmed cases is 7,711. A new study found that a period between exposure to novel coronavirus and the appearance of the initial symptoms is 5.2 days on average. According to one of the largest and comprehensive case study published on the mysterious coronavirus which has claimed at least 170 lives till date, the number of cases of the novel coronavirus doubled every 7.4 days since it first came to light.

The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), found that the median age of the first 425 patients with confirmed Novel Coronavirus - Infected Pneumonia (NCIP) was 59 years. Among those patients, 56 per cent were male while 55 per cent of the cases were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as compared with 8.6 per cent of the subsequent cases.

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