Pedestrians, wearing face masks as a precautionary means against coronavirus infection, walk past market stalls in Hong Kong, May 2, 2020. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

Although the threat of the coronavirus pandemic is receding with no new local cases reported for many days, Hong Kong people must continue to stand united against the resurgence of violent street protests that could undermine the recovery of the economy, the city’s financial chief said on Sunday. 

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po made the plea in his official blog. Unity of the people has proven to be the strongest defense against the dreaded coronavirus outbreak. Such unity would prove indispensable in preserving a peaceful and an orderly environment for economic revival, he noted. 

The government has estimated that the economy will shrink by 4 to 7% this year, worse than the earlier projection of a contraction of 0.5 to 1.5%, writes Paul Chan 

That environment is far from assured as evidenced by the fresh outbreak of street violence that brought chaos to multiple locations in the city. I

n one case on Friday night, radical protesters threw patrol bombs at a police van. Among those arrested for arson and other crimes was a 15-year-old juvenile suspect. 

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Hong Kong’s economy faces unprecedented challenges because of the riots that started last June and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Latest unemployment rate reached 4.2 percent, a record-high in nine years.  

The government has estimated that the economy will shrink by 4 to 7 percent this year, worse than the earlier projection of a contraction of 0.5 to 1.5 percent, Chan said. 

Chan noted that businesses are gradually reopening and many people are stepping out of their homes, especially during the Labor Day holidays. He wrote that he understood the public’s eagerness for a return to normal after enduring first the protracted social unrest and, more recently, the pandemic outbreak.  

READ MORE: Pandemic-hit businesses reel from renewed protests 

But Chan also warned that the outbreak has not yet been under control in many other countries and regions. 

He advised the public and the business community to remain vigilant and follow the government’s lead in the cautions and gradual easing of the anti-epidemic measures.