Election of the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be delayed to May 8 due to the current COVID-19 situation, Carrie Lam, chief executive of the HKSAR, said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the nomination period will also be put off to April 3-16.
"The decision is due to Hong Kong facing the most severe situation since the pandemic began two years ago. It is a critical situation," Carrie Lam told a press conference.
The date for electing the city's new leader was originally scheduled for March 27.
It will be the first chief executive election since changes were made to the HKSAR's electoral system last year under the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."
Lam, who took office on July 1, 2017, for a five-year term, has not said whether she will seek re-election.
The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR on Friday said it understands and supports the decision to postpone the election.
The decision meets the actual needs for Hong Kong's ongoing fight against COVID-19 as well as the expectations of the residents to focus on anti-pandemic efforts, the office said in a statement.
The decision is conducive to ensuring that the election will be held in a fair, open and safe manner and is in line with the overall interests of Hong Kong, it added.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council also voiced understanding and support for the HKSAR in postposing the election, calling the decision "necessary," "reasonable" and "legitimate."
Stepping up COVID-19 measures
Lam said the city is planning to adopt citywide coronavirus testings and stricter COVID-19 measures to contain the virus, as well as set up quarantine facilities. She estimated it may take about two to three months to stabilize the situation.
She also clarified there will be no citywide lockdown right now.
Hong Kong has been struggling to fight against a COVID-19 surge that has deteriorated swiftly in the past two weeks. The city confirmed 3,629 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours on Friday as a total of 22,487 cases have been reported in the past two weeks, local health authorities revealed .
The Chinese mainland has already sent a group of medical experts and mobile nucleic acid testing vehicles to Hong Kong to help fight COVID-19 surge and will continue to provide more support if necessary. The medical team includes members of the national epidemiological investigation group, with a good command of Cantonese and English, and are familiar with Hong Kong society.
Lam said in an interview with China Media Group that the city will set up a mobile field hospital as quarantine facility with the help of Chinese mainland experts on Saturday.