Hong Kong’s government is set to ban face masks at protests, media reported on Friday, as it struggles to end months of violent unrest in the Chinese-ruled city. Media said Carrie Lam, the city’s Beijing-backed leader, was due to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), and the ban on face masks, worn by many protesters to hide their identities, would come into effect at midnight (1600 GMT). It was not clear how the government would implement a ban in a city where many people wear masks on a daily basis to protect themselves from colds and flu, especially after an outbreak of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003.
