đ British judges leave Hong Kong's highest court
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On Todayâs Tide
National Security Law | Two senior British judges resign, citing the national security law.
COVID-19 | Woman fails to file an appeal against vaccine passes.
CE Carrie Lam seen packing up COVID-19 kits.
People with allergies need not fear the jab.
And more!
Events and Deals | See Hong Kong past and present in this virtual tour!
Behind the paywall:
Government | Residency requirement changes for eligible police force applicants.
International | Hongkongers leaving for Canada reach height of post-handover levels.
Politics | Distribution of $1,000 in electricity subsidies coming in June.
Transport | Which of Cathayâs rerouted flight path is now the looooongest in the world?
UK judges resign over the security law
National Security Law

Two judges from Britain who served in the Court of Final Appeal have tendered their resignations over the cityâs national security law. The non-permanent judges, Robert Reed and Patrick Hodge, submitted their resignations with immediate effect.
Reed said that the security law has made it such that they feel unable to practice law in Hong Kongâs court:
"I have concluded, in agreement with the government, that the judges of the Supreme Court cannot continue to sit in Hong Kong without appearing to endorse an administration which has departed from values of political freedom, and freedom of expression."
â Robert Reed
The British government has backed this decision; British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss agreed that âit is no longer tenable for British judges to sit on Hong Kong's leading court, and would risk legitimising oppressionâ.
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Cheung noted their leave âwith regretâ. Chief Executive Carrie Lam âvehemently refutesâ the reasoning behind their departure:
"We have no choice but acquiesced in the two eminent judges' decision to resign from the CFA following the UK Government's decision to discontinue an agreement that has been respected and has served both the Hong Kong and UK interests well for years, but we must vehemently refute any unfounded allegations that the judges' resignations have anything to do with the introduction of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) or the exercise of freedom of speech and political freedom in Hong Kong."
â Chief Executive Carrie Lam
Appeal against vaccine pass âfailed to state any proper groundâ
COVID-19
A womanâs attempt to file an appeal against Hong Kongâs vaccine pass was unsuccessful. In her appeal, the woman (who is unvaccinated) complained that she lost job opportunities and lost her âeasy access to affordable food and daily necessitiesâ. The judge ruled that her complaints were âone of inconvenienceâ, and didnât think âaccess to wet markets or supermarkets can arguably be described as basic rights.â


New cases: 6,981 (2,994 PCR tests, 3,987 RATs)
Deaths: 135
Total cases: 1,150,769
Total deaths: 7,706
Lockdown updates
103 infections were found in three buildings after overnight lockdowns.
Other COVID-19 updates
Yesterday is the first time in five weeks that new COVID-19 cases dropped below 7,000.
COVID vaccines are safe for people with allergies, according to the Hong Kong Allergy Association.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam was seen
working hard on her PR imagepacking anti-epidemic kits full of rapid tests, masks, and Chinese medicine at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.Testing is required for people who have been to 20 specified places for more than two hours between 17-30 March (see the Annex for details).
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