HK mask ban extended to Dec. 10

The Court of Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Wednesday extended the interim validity of the city's "anti-mask law" till December 10, days after the HKSAR government appealed the case on Monday.

Last Friday, the regulation was given a seven-day reprieve till November 29 by the Hong Kong High Court after it was ruled "unconstitutional" earlier on November 18.

The case is now scheduled for a two-day hearing starting January 9, 2020.

Hong Kong high court: Mask ban in effect till Nov. 29

The ban was introduced in October by Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam amid escalating violence and vandalism in the city to "create a deterrent effect against masked, violent protesters and rioters".

Following the High Court's "unconstitutional" verdict, China's top legislature has voiced strong dissatisfaction, saying only the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress could make judgments and decisions on whether a law of the HKSAR is in accordance with the Basic Law.