HKSAR government condemns illegal gathering in Yuen Long

The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has strongly condemned the "selfish and illegal acts" of some disorderly members of the public who gathered inside a mall in Yuen Long on Tuesday.

A government spokesman said that the gathering gravely increases the risk of spreading the virus, and the participants are suspected of having breached the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G).

Any group gathering may increase the risk of the spread of the virus, and the police will take resolute enforcement action, the spokesman said.

Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested five people at prohibited gatherings in Yuen Long, including a 52-year-old man for suspected violation of the national security law.

Participants in such events may have committed the offense of "taking part in an unauthorized assembly" in accordance with the Public Order Ordinance and be liable to a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment, police warned.