A man and a kid wearing masks walk in the Central area of Hong Kong, south China, July 27, 2020. Hong Kong announced further tightening of anti-epidemic measures, including prohibition of dining-in services in restaurants and mandatory mask-wearing in all public places, which will come into effect on Wednesday.Photo:China News Service

The Hong Kong opposition's criticism of the postponement of Legislative Council (LegCo)'s election ignores the threat to public health, says Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 

Hong Kong is currently suffering from a third wave of the epidemic, with over 100 new confirmed cases every day for 10 consecutive days. The source of these new infections is still unknown, resulting in large-scale group activities being postponed or cancelled, Leung posted on his Facebook account on Saturday.

Under such circumstances, the canvassing work could not proceed normally over the next month, nor could the voting usually undertaken by more than 3 million people in the 18 districts of Hong Kong. Ballot counting involving tens of thousands of people would also be unsafe, he said.

Leung said that the priority for the HKSAR government and the people of Hong Kong is to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus until it is completely eradicated. While protecting the health of residents, normal economic activities should be resumed as soon as possible to avoid continued economic decline and the deterioration of the job market, Leung noted. 

Hong Kong's opposition disregards public health, uses politics to override the greater good, and opposes the postponement of the LegCo election simply for the sake of opposition, Leung added forcefully.

The LegCo election will be postponed until September 5 next year, according to chief executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong on Saturday reported 124 confirmed local transmissions, bringing the total confirmed COVID-19 infections to 3,397.

Saturday marks the 11th consecutive day of reporting newly confirmed cases of over 100 in Hong Kong.