npr:

Hong Kong’s government is expected to take the rare step of invoking emergency powers on Friday so that it can enact a ban on face masks like the ones pro-democracy protesters have worn during months of demonstrations.

Media reports of the possible action emerged days after police shot a pro-democracy protester in the chest during an altercation, signaling a more strict stance by the authorities and bringing protesters’ rage to new heights.

That demonstrator, identified as 18-year-old student Tsang Chi-kin, survived and was taken to the hospital. But he now faces criminal charges of rioting and assaulting police officers. Video from the scene shows that he swung a metal rod at the officer just before being shot.

The shooting brought a new intensity to a day of stark contrasts, coming while China celebrated its National Day anniversary. As mass protests took place in Hong Kong, soldiers marched and crowds waved flags in Beijing.

If Hong Kong’s leaders indeed use emergency powers to ban face masks, it would be the first time in half a century that a chief executive has used those measures — which date to 1922, when Hong Kong was under British rule.

Hong Kong May Ban Face Masks By Invoking Colonial-Era Emergency Powers

Photo: Chan Long Hei/Bloomberg via Getty Images