Witman Hung partygate

Witman Hung, whose birthday party stirred controversy

Witman Hung partygate refers to a political scandal in Hong Kong that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 3 January 2022, during the city's fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, a banquet was held at a tapas bar in Wan Chai to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Witman Hung Wai-man, a delegate of Hong Kong to the National People's Congress. Amidst initial spread of the Omicron variant, the party was attended by at least 225 people including several senior officials, exceeding the legal capacity of the venue. The party was held against advice given by authorities to avoid large gatherings, and some attendees were later scrutinised for failing to use the government's contact tracing app, LeaveHomeSafe, as was legally required.

The party became known to the public after a participant became infected with COVID-19, prompting authorities to order Hung and 170 other attendees to enter quarantine at a government facility in Penny's Bay. The event became a political scandal over possible violation of anti-epidemic regulations. Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended 13 officials who had attended, including Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui, who later resigned from his post.[1]

  1. ^ Cheung, Tony (4 February 2022). "Should host, other officials also take rap for Hong Kong "partygate" scandal?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 February 2022.