Hong Kong protesters fuel coronavirus chaos by lobbing petrol bombs at empty housing complex

Coronavirus quarantine centre is FIRE-BOMBED: Hong Kong rioters torch housing complex as city BANS anyone who has set foot in Hubei in last 14 days from entering

  • Protesters hurled molotov cocktails at a public housing complex Sunday night 
  • It had been earmarked to become a temporary quarantine zone for coronavirus 
  • Hong Kong – which so far has six confirmed cases – is braced for infections 
  • But dozens of local residents are opposed to having the facility in their area 

Hong Kong protesters have fuelled coronavirus chaos by lobbing petrol bombs at empty housing complex in fury over it being designated as a quarantine zone.

Molotov cocktails were launched on Sunday night at an empty public housing that had been earmarked to become a temporary quarantine zone after the city confirmed six cases.

Among ramped-up measures to reduce the risk of further infections was the plan to convert the block to house suspected victims, as well as front-line medical staff worried about infecting their families.

Dozens of local residents and protesters opposed to the idea held rallies outside the complex on Sunday, with some setting up road blocks. 

First aid volunteers try to extinguish a fire set by local residents at a building of the Fai Ming Estate, in Fanling district of Hong Kong on Sunday night

A local resident struggles with riot police at the Fai Ming Estate, in Fanling district of Hong Kong, Sunday

A local resident struggles with riot police at the Fai Ming Estate, in Fanling district of Hong Kong, Sunday

Anti-government protesters set alight the lobby of a newly built residential building that authorities planned to use as a quarantine facility

Anti-government protesters set alight the lobby of a newly built residential building that authorities planned to use as a quarantine facility

In the evening, police said assailants threw petrol bombs at the buildings.

An AFP photographer on the scene saw fierce flames coming from the entrance of two apartment blocks before firefighters got the blaze under control.

Riot police were on scene and protesters had left, although some local residents were arguing with officers who used pepper spray.

The Centre for Health Protection said the plan to turn the housing estate into a quarantine zone would be suspended.

Hong Kong has declared the virus that first began in central China as a public 'emergency' - the city's highest warning tier - and on Saturday announced ramped-up measures to reduce the risk of further infections (pictured: the burning housing complex tonight)

Hong Kong has declared the virus that first began in central China as a public ’emergency’ – the city’s highest warning tier – and on Saturday announced ramped-up measures to reduce the risk of further infections (pictured: the burning housing complex tonight)

The agency has already turned a holiday park in an isolated rural area into a working quarantine facility. Two other holiday parks located away from major housing estates are also ready to be used as similar facilities.

But officials say they have struggled to find hotels and spare rooms for doctors and nurses working on the isolation wards where patients are being treated.

The virus outbreak comes at a time when Hong Kong is already boiling with widespread anti-government sentiment after seven months of often violent pro-democracy protests.

The city’s pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam boasts record-low approval ratings while the police force is loathed in many neighbourhoods.

The frequency and ferocity of protests have died down in the last six weeks, but sporadic clashes still take place.

Police fired tear gas on Saturday night – the first day of the Lunar New Year – at small groups of masked protesters in Mongkok. 

First aid volunteers work to extinguish a fire set by local residents at a building of the Fai Ming Estate

First aid volunteers work to extinguish a fire set by local residents at a building of the Fai Ming Estate

Nearly 300 people were killed by SARS in 2003, a tragedy that left a profound psychological impact on one of the most densely populated places on earth.

The city’s ability to combat the crisis was hampered by moves in mainland China to cover up and play down the outbreak, leaving a lasting legacy of distrust among many Hong Kongers.

Animosity towards China has intensified in recent years as Beijing tightens political control over the semi-autonomous territory and as mainlanders compete with locals for jobs, property and goods in the pricey city. 

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