Hong Kong prepares for election

Authorities in Hong Kong reimposed a mask ban on Friday and prepared to deploy police officers to polling stations for this weekend’s district council elections. The territory’s High Court, which struck down the ban as unconstitutional this week, allowed the temporary restrictions due to “the highly exceptional circumstances that Hong Kong is currently facing.” Voters will select officers for the 452 seats in the semi-autonomous territory’s 18 district councils.

How significant is the vote? While the election focuses on local affairs, the ongoing protests have pushed it to the forefront. Hong Kong’s new police commissioner, Tang Ping-keung, said on Friday that officers would respond without hesitation to any outbreak of violence during the vote. During midday rallies on Friday, protesters chanted, “We have the right to wear masks.”

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s Metro Minute journal on the impact of the Hong Kong protests in New York.