Militants Bomb Hospital, Torch Quarantine Center as Hong Kong Braces for Virus Outbreak

As Hong Kong reports its first cases of coronavirus, which has spread from mainland China’s Wuhan province, the special administrative region has seen its health centre come under attack from militant groups. While the intensity of protests and riots in Hong Kong has declined in recent weeks, resulting in a partial return to stability, attacks on public infrastructure and private businesses by pro-Western rioters, at times resulting in the deaths or hospitalisation of those deemed ‘pro-Chinese,’ have continued on a smaller scale. On January 26th militants attacked a recently constructed quarantine zone, assigned to contain the virus outbreak, with petrol bombs and Molotov cocktails. The newly built facilities were completely destroyed, which is expected to seriously undermine efforts to contain the virus. On the 27th a further attack on Hong Kong’s health sector was carried out, with a bomb exploding at the Caritas Medical Centre - widely speculated by both local and Western press to have been planted by the anti government militants. This attack would likely constitute a war crime, although its perpetrator has yet to be found. The explosion failed to cause any casualties in the hospital, although operations were seriously disrupted for several hours. Further attacks on Hong Kong’s increasingly strained health sector are expected, but it remains uncertain what measures will be taken by local law enforcement to contain the attacks and protect hospitals and other possible targets from militant groups.