Hong Kong is to ban all passenger flights from eight countries, including the UK and France, for two weeks due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The Chinese region’s chief executive announced the move which will stop all flights from the UK, France, US, Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan and the Philippines from Saturday, 8 January, to 21 January.
Hong Kong, which is adopting a “zero-Covid” approach to the pandemic, already has some of the strictest rules in the world, which are now being further tightened after authorities identified its first “cluster” of Omicron infections.
All non-residents from these eight countries were already banned from entering Hong Kong, but the region’s residents had been allowed to enter with a three-week quarantine period.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, told a press conference: “We are facing a very dire situation of a major community outbreak anytime - that’s why we have to take very decisive measures.”
Hong Kong will also prohibit all indoor dinning at restaurants after 6pm from Friday, 7 January, as well as closing swimming pools, sports centres, bars, nightclubs, museums and other venues for at least two weeks.