Hong Kong Court Rejects Bid to Reinstate Mask Ban During Appeal
- Government failed to make case for reinstatement, court says
- China criticized earlier decision deeming ban unconstitutional
A demonstrator wears an anonymous mask in Hong Kong on Dec. 8.
Photographer: Ivan Abreu/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A Hong Kong appeals court rejected the government’s request to temporarily extend a controversial mask ban, despite China’s criticism of a lower court decision declaring the measure unconstitutional last month.
The government failed to convince the Court of Appeal of the need to reinstate the ban against protesters wearing masks before hearings on the case proceed next month, Justices Jeremy Poon and Johnson Lam wrote in a decision handed down Tuesday. The judges said that the ruling shouldn’t be seen as indicating the result of the appeal, which will be heard Jan. 9-10.