Witman Hung partygate
Hong Kong Covid-19 party scandal / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Witman Hung partygate refers to a political scandal in Hong Kong that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. A banquet was held at a tapas bar in Wan Chai on 3 January 2022, during the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic, to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Witman Hung Wai-man, a delegate of Hong Kong to the National People's Congress.[1][2][3] Amidst initial spread of the Omicron variant, the event was attended by at least 225 people,[4] including fourteen senior officials and twenty lawmakers,[5] exceeding the legal capacity of the venue.[6][7][8] The party was held against advice given by authorities to avoid large gatherings, and some attendees were later scrutinised for failing to scan the LeaveHomeSafe contact tracing app, as was legally required.
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Chinese. (January 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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The party became known to the public after a participant became infected with COVID-19, prompting authorities to order Hung and 170 other attendees to enter quarantine at a state facility in Penny's Bay.[1] The event became a political scandal over possible violation of anti-epidemic regulations, while government officials joining the private party were criticised for malfeasance in office.[9][10] Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended 13 officials who had attended, including Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui, who later resigned his post.[11]