There are unconfirmed stories that air travellers from Thailand and a variety of different international locations are to be banned from transiting via Hong Kong. The ban applies to all Group A countries, which have been designated high-risk for Covid-19. Group A consists of a number of in style transit routes, corresponding to Singapore, Australia, and a variety of other European nations, in addition to Thailand.
According to a Bloomberg report, there was no official affirmation of the ban yet, but reputable sources have stated will probably be carried out from January 15 till a minimal of February 14. While the Thai authorities has adopted a risk-averse stance in terms of Covid-19, Hong Kong and its Beijing rulers have taken it to a whole different stage. This is simply one extra measure in its dogged pursuit of its zero-Covid goal.
The ban is expected to hit Hong Kong’s flagship service hard. Cathay Pacific operates the overwhelming majority of transit flights and the airport was all the time a busy transit hub for passengers on long-haul flights, as nicely as these coming from China, Taiwan, and other components of the area. While the pandemic has hit air journey exhausting, Cathay Pacific mentioned it was still seeing good demand on transit flights.
In Controversial , in the course of the early days of the pandemic, Hong Kong banned all transit flights, however progressively began allowing them back in the months that adopted, with the exception of mainland China.
According to the Bloomberg report, the territory is presently battling a relatively small Omicron outbreak, with new restrictions imposed and in-school studying suspended at kindergartens and first colleges until after the Chinese New Year holidays.
It’s understood that authorities officers and diplomats, as properly as athletes and workers attending the Beijing Winter Olympics, will be exempt from the ban on transit passengers from Group A international locations..