(Reuters) –Hong Kong residents started to return to work on Monday (October 6) after more than a week of pro-democracy protests that disrupted the Chinese-controlled city, with the protest movement facing a test of its stamina after more clashes with police and pro-Beijing opponents.
Some protesters left the Mong Kok area of the city, pulling back from the scene of recent clashes with those who back the pro-Beijing government.
Hong Kong security broker, Franki Chan, said the road blocks around Mong Kok were not an issue.
“I don’t think so just very little impact. I can choose either to take the bus to work or the MTR (underground). I took the MTR these last few days so just a little impact. So I don’t think it’s a real problem,” he said.
An unidentified worker at a kiosk said the shop in which she worked made money off the protesters.
“They (the protests) affect our business but luckily we earned enough through selling water,” she said.
The number of protesters on Monday fell sharply overnight into the hundreds. The protesters remained at a stalemate with leader CY Leung’s pro-Beijing government and there was no sign of movement on talks that were proposed to end the stand-off.
The protests have ebbed and flowed over the past week, with people leaving the streets in the evening to return later.
The test on Monday will be whether that pattern continues in the face of the government’s determination to get Hong Kong back to work.
