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| Why Are People Protesting in Hong Kong? | Why Are People Protesting in Hong Kong? |
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| The protests in Hong Kong this past week have many of the hallmarks of the antigovernment demonstrations last year that came to define the territory’s biggest political crisis in decades. Protesters have tried to target the legislative chambers. They have marched on the streets and waved banners. They have tried to stop traffic. | The protests in Hong Kong this past week have many of the hallmarks of the antigovernment demonstrations last year that came to define the territory’s biggest political crisis in decades. Protesters have tried to target the legislative chambers. They have marched on the streets and waved banners. They have tried to stop traffic. |
| This year, there is a key difference. The protests are increasingly a direct challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party rather than to the territory’s leadership. | This year, there is a key difference. The protests are increasingly a direct challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party rather than to the territory’s leadership. |
| This latest round of demonstrations, the city’s biggest rallies in months, has been fueled largely by the party’s move this month to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong. | This latest round of demonstrations, the city’s biggest rallies in months, has been fueled largely by the party’s move this month to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong. |
| Here’s a guide to the protests, and why they have returned. | Here’s a guide to the protests, and why they have returned. |
| The rules would take direct aim at the antigovernment protests and other dissent in Hong Kong. | The rules would take direct aim at the antigovernment protests and other dissent in Hong Kong. |
| They are expected to prevent and punish secession, subversion as well as foreign infiltration — all of which Beijing has blamed for fueling unrest in the city. The legislation would also allow the mainland’s feared security agencies to set up their operations publicly in Hong Kong for the first time, instead of operating on a limited scale in secrecy. | They are expected to prevent and punish secession, subversion as well as foreign infiltration — all of which Beijing has blamed for fueling unrest in the city. The legislation would also allow the mainland’s feared security agencies to set up their operations publicly in Hong Kong for the first time, instead of operating on a limited scale in secrecy. |
| To China, the rules are necessary to protect the country’s national sovereignty. To critics, they further erode the relative autonomy granted to the territory after Britain handed it back to China in 1997. | To China, the rules are necessary to protect the country’s national sovereignty. To critics, they further erode the relative autonomy granted to the territory after Britain handed it back to China in 1997. |
| The legislation has evoked fear that the Communist Party is undermining the freedoms that Hong Kong has enjoyed since China reclaimed the region from Britain. The political framework in Hong Kong, known as “one country, two systems,” ensures the right to assembly and an independent judiciary. | The legislation has evoked fear that the Communist Party is undermining the freedoms that Hong Kong has enjoyed since China reclaimed the region from Britain. The political framework in Hong Kong, known as “one country, two systems,” ensures the right to assembly and an independent judiciary. |
| China promised that this policy would remain in place until at least 2047. | China promised that this policy would remain in place until at least 2047. |
| Many protesters believe that Beijing is already eroding the city’s autonomy, and that the local government acts at its behest. The city’s top leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee. | Many protesters believe that Beijing is already eroding the city’s autonomy, and that the local government acts at its behest. The city’s top leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee. |
| Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, requires the territory to introduce national security legislation. But the government had not dared to do so after an earlier attempt was stymied in 2003 by huge protests. | Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, requires the territory to introduce national security legislation. But the government had not dared to do so after an earlier attempt was stymied in 2003 by huge protests. |
| Now, Beijing is bypassing the Hong Kong government, and the legislation is instead being pushed by China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress. | Now, Beijing is bypassing the Hong Kong government, and the legislation is instead being pushed by China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress. |
| But Beijing had been signaling for months that it would move against the intensifying protests. | But Beijing had been signaling for months that it would move against the intensifying protests. |
| A Chinese Communist Party leadership meeting in late October called for steps to “safeguard national security” in Hong Kong, without releasing further details. In January, Beijing abruptly replaced its top representative in Hong Kong, installing a senior Communist Party official with a record of working closely with the security services. | A Chinese Communist Party leadership meeting in late October called for steps to “safeguard national security” in Hong Kong, without releasing further details. In January, Beijing abruptly replaced its top representative in Hong Kong, installing a senior Communist Party official with a record of working closely with the security services. |
| The national security legislation drew immediate criticism from the United States. | The national security legislation drew immediate criticism from the United States. |
| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the Trump administration could revoke Hong Kong’s status as a separate economic entity from mainland China, an important underpinning of the territory’s easy trade access to the United States. And President Trump said on Tuesday that he was preparing to take action against China in response to the national security laws on Hong Kong, but did not give details. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the Trump administration could revoke Hong Kong’s status as a separate economic entity from mainland China, an important underpinning of the territory’s easy trade access to the United States. And President Trump said on Tuesday that he was preparing to take action against China in response to the national security laws on Hong Kong, but did not give details. |
| The mass antigovernment protests started nearly a year ago over contentious legislation in Hong Kong that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. After months of protests, the bill was withdrawn in September. | The mass antigovernment protests started nearly a year ago over contentious legislation in Hong Kong that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. After months of protests, the bill was withdrawn in September. |
| Since then, the demonstrations have morphed into a broader movement calling for increased democracy, an investigation into police brutality and greater autonomy from mainland China. At its core, the movement is aimed at protecting Hong Kong’s autonomy and resisting encroachment from the mainland. | Since then, the demonstrations have morphed into a broader movement calling for increased democracy, an investigation into police brutality and greater autonomy from mainland China. At its core, the movement is aimed at protecting Hong Kong’s autonomy and resisting encroachment from the mainland. |
| What began as peaceful mass rallies in the streets later devolved into intense and often-violent, drawn-out clashes between some protesters and police officers. The most intense of clashes at times transformed large swaths of the global financial hub into fiery urban battlegrounds. | What began as peaceful mass rallies in the streets later devolved into intense and often-violent, drawn-out clashes between some protesters and police officers. The most intense of clashes at times transformed large swaths of the global financial hub into fiery urban battlegrounds. |
| All sides appeared ready for a protracted fight until pro-democracy candidates notched a stunning victory in Hong Kong elections in November, in what was seen as a pointed rebuke of Beijing and its allies in Hong Kong. | All sides appeared ready for a protracted fight until pro-democracy candidates notched a stunning victory in Hong Kong elections in November, in what was seen as a pointed rebuke of Beijing and its allies in Hong Kong. |
| The protests then quietened. For the first few months of this year, fears of the new coronavirus and social distancing orders kept demonstrators indoors. | The protests then quietened. For the first few months of this year, fears of the new coronavirus and social distancing orders kept demonstrators indoors. |
| The emergence of a mysterious virus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December immediately prompted concerns in Hong Kong. Many residents remember the 2002-03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed nearly 300 residents. | The emergence of a mysterious virus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December immediately prompted concerns in Hong Kong. Many residents remember the 2002-03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed nearly 300 residents. |
| Though Mrs. Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, moved to limit arrivals from mainland China, she initially resisted a complete travel ban. Then, in early February, more than 2,500 medical workers in Hong Kong formed a union and held a strike that eventually forced the government to impose quarantines on all travelers arriving from the mainland. | Though Mrs. Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, moved to limit arrivals from mainland China, she initially resisted a complete travel ban. Then, in early February, more than 2,500 medical workers in Hong Kong formed a union and held a strike that eventually forced the government to impose quarantines on all travelers arriving from the mainland. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| The mobilization by the hospital workers was one of the first signs of how the protest movement had evolved to pose a more organized challenge to the government. | The mobilization by the hospital workers was one of the first signs of how the protest movement had evolved to pose a more organized challenge to the government. |
| The public widely credits the travel restrictions for keeping the virus out of the territory, which by late May had recorded just over 1,000 cases of the coronavirus and four deaths. | The public widely credits the travel restrictions for keeping the virus out of the territory, which by late May had recorded just over 1,000 cases of the coronavirus and four deaths. |
| Though the virus appears to have been tamed in Hong Kong, local officials recently announced that they would be extending social distancing orders and that group gatherings with more than eight people in public places would be banned until at least mid-June. | Though the virus appears to have been tamed in Hong Kong, local officials recently announced that they would be extending social distancing orders and that group gatherings with more than eight people in public places would be banned until at least mid-June. |
| Already, the police have begun issuing fines to protesters, including some who staged a pro-democracy singalong at a mall, for violating social distancing orders. | Already, the police have begun issuing fines to protesters, including some who staged a pro-democracy singalong at a mall, for violating social distancing orders. |
| Some protesters frustrated with the government’s response have adopted increasingly violent tactics, attacking the police with bricks and Molotov cocktails. Officers have responded with a heavy hand, deploying rubber bullets, pepper balls, tear gas, water cannons and, on several occasions, even guns, to repel the protesters. | Some protesters frustrated with the government’s response have adopted increasingly violent tactics, attacking the police with bricks and Molotov cocktails. Officers have responded with a heavy hand, deploying rubber bullets, pepper balls, tear gas, water cannons and, on several occasions, even guns, to repel the protesters. |
| When the demonstrations returned to the streets this month, the police appeared more determined than last year to quash the protests and better equipped to do so. To head off planned protests, officers are conducting searches and identification checks on a broader scale and erecting physical barriers in expanding perimeters around government buildings. When protesters do manage to assemble, the police are herding them into large groups and arresting them. | When the demonstrations returned to the streets this month, the police appeared more determined than last year to quash the protests and better equipped to do so. To head off planned protests, officers are conducting searches and identification checks on a broader scale and erecting physical barriers in expanding perimeters around government buildings. When protesters do manage to assemble, the police are herding them into large groups and arresting them. |
| Chinese officials have seized on the unrest to label the protesters “separatists” and “violent terrorists” backed by “meddling foreign forces.” They have said the demonstrations were evidence that national security legislation was urgently needed. | Chinese officials have seized on the unrest to label the protesters “separatists” and “violent terrorists” backed by “meddling foreign forces.” They have said the demonstrations were evidence that national security legislation was urgently needed. |
| “The troublemakers in Hong Kong cannot be allowed to collude with foreign anti-China forces to impose sanctions on the city and confront China,” Xie Feng, China’s foreign affairs commissioner in Hong Kong, said at a news briefing in May. “The ‘Hong Kong independence’ separatists cannot be left unchecked, and the extremists cannot have a free pass to commit violent terrorist acts.” | “The troublemakers in Hong Kong cannot be allowed to collude with foreign anti-China forces to impose sanctions on the city and confront China,” Xie Feng, China’s foreign affairs commissioner in Hong Kong, said at a news briefing in May. “The ‘Hong Kong independence’ separatists cannot be left unchecked, and the extremists cannot have a free pass to commit violent terrorist acts.” |
| Only a few protesters have openly called for Hong Kong’s independence, however, and Chinese officials have so far declined to produce substantive evidence of official foreign involvement in the protests. | Only a few protesters have openly called for Hong Kong’s independence, however, and Chinese officials have so far declined to produce substantive evidence of official foreign involvement in the protests. |