Leader feels city authorities can handle situation but says no option can be ruled out

Hong Kong’s leader has said she would not rule out asking for Chinese government help in putting down the long-running protests “if the situation becomes so bad”, but at present she thought city authorities could handle the situation.

Carrie Lam said she had no plans at the moment to use sweeping emergency powers to bring in further laws, after a controversial anti-mask ban inflamed tensions across the city and spurred four days of street protests.

The city’s chief executive warned that the city’s economy was entering a “bitter winter”, with the protests badly affecting tourism in particular with visitors in the first week of October – a national holiday in mainland China – down by half. Visitor numbers in July were down 4.8% year on year but in August and September, down by 30% to 40%.

Retail figures and hotel occupancy for August were both down a quarter year on year, she said.

Earlier a member of her cabinet, Ip Kwok-him, had floated the idea of internet curbs to try to contain the four-month old protest movement, which is leaderless and has been organised largely through online forums and encrypted messaging.

Speaking to journalists ahead of a regular meeting of the executive council – Lam’s cabinet – she said it was too early to assess if the mask ban had been effective, but she did not regret passing it. “We have had enough chaos, it’s been four months,” she said.

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On Monday night police again clashed with crowds across Hong Kong. Lam claims the face mask ban is needed to stop violence but critics say it is a dangerous assault on civil rights that has only spurred fresh outrage and protests.

Asked if she would rule out asking the government in Beijing for help if Hong Kong authorities were not able to quash the protest movement, Lam said that for now she believed her government could handle the situation.

“At this point I strongly feel that we should find the solutions ourselves, that is also the position of the central government [in mainland China],” she said. “But if the situation becomes so bad, then no options could be ruled out, if we want Hong Kong to at least have another chance.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

Lam condemned the “serious and widespread” damage, and called protesters “lawless” rioters trying to create a climate of fear, who were preventing the city from returning to normal life.

With parts of the metro shut, there were long queues for busses and heavy traffic across the island. The economy is also flagging, with the impact of protests on key tourism and retail sectors compounding the impact of the US China trade war; the city faces slipping into recession for the first time in a decade.

On Monday, prosecutors brought the first charges brought under the new law banning face masks during public assemblies and protests. Two people were brought before the court, surrounded by dozens of others also wearing masks in solidarity.

Later, riot police used tear gas in at least three areas and arrested demonstrators in several other parts of the city. Protesters built barricades, attacked businesses thought to be pro-China and vandalised two metro stations.

Police said 77 people have been arrested for wearing masks during protests since the mask ban came into effect on Saturday.

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The protests were originally sparked by an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent for trial in mainland China, but have swelled into a much broader movement with goals including greater democracy and an independent investigation of police brutality.

It is the biggest political crisis for the territory since the handover from British colonial rule in 1997, and one of the most serious challenges to Xi since he took power.