HONG KONG: A group of protesters set alight the lobby of a newly built residential building in Hong Kong on Sunday that authorities planned to use as a quarantine facility for the coronavirus outbreak.

A witness saw several masked protesters, clad in black, rush into the public housing block in the Fanling district near to the border with China, and set alight a Molotov cocktail before running out. Black smoke could be seen pouring out of the building to the sound of fire alarms. Windows were smashed.

The fire was later put out by firefighters and the damage appeared to be confined to the lobby area. Hundreds of riot police also moved in, arresting at least one person.

As fears about the virus outbreak intensify, calls have grown for Hong Kong’s government to block the financial hub’s border with mainland China to minimise the risk of infection.

Late on Sunday, the Hong Kong government issued a ban on residents of Hubei province, where the outbreak began, from entering the city. The ban includes those who have been in the province in the past 14 days but excludes Hong Kong citizens.

Earlier, hundreds of Hong Kong citizens had blocked roads leading to the building with bricks and other debris, to protest plans to convert the building into a quarantine zone as the number of confirmed cases in the city climbed to six.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2020