HK to shorten ban on airline routes linked to Covid-19 cases

HONG KONG • Hong Kong yesterday said it is shortening the ban on airlines that are found to have carried three or more passengers who test positive for Covid-19 upon arrival, as the number of local coronavirus cases continues to ease from its peak.

From Friday, the ban on individual airline routes will be halved to seven days as part of an ongoing "flight suspension mechanism", the government said in a statement.

The change comes after the government said last week that a ban on flights from nine countries - Canada, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Britain, the United States, France, Australia and the Philippines - will be lifted on April 1.

If there is at least one positive test and at least one case of non-compliance with pre-departure testing on any single flight, the airline will also be suspended from flying the route for seven days.

The government also announced the implementation of a special Covid-19 screening arrangement starting tomorrow.

Travellers will be subject to an additional rapid polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test at the airport before they can check in for flights to China. Passengers will need to undergo the test at least five to six hours prior to the scheduled time of departure.

Hong Kong will also boost its inoculation drive, particularly among older people. It will start a home vaccination programme for seniors or people with disabilities in the coming weeks, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at her press briefing yesterday.

The authorities will offer vaccinations for seniors or people with disabilities in public housing estates where compulsory testing will be carried out in restricted areas.

Hong Kong reported 8,037 new Covid-19 infections yesterday - the second straight day below 10,000 cases - and 151 deaths, as its latest wave of infections eases.

The city will relax the social distancing measures in phases starting on April 21, allowing restaurant dining after 6pm with tables of four people, up from two currently.

Hong Kong's economy is set to contract in the first quarter, breaking four quarters of recovery, as retail sales fell for the first time in 12 months in February and export growth slowed, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on his blog.

Businesses and the city's economy are reeling from widespread closures, as the government has imposed stringent social distancing rules since January amid a dramatic spike in cases involving the Omicron variant.

While the city has officially stuck to a "dynamic zero" coronavirus policy similar to that of mainland China, which seeks to curb all outbreaks, it has been shifting to mitigation strategies as deaths skyrocketed.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG