Key points:
- The Hong Kong government on Sunday suspended flights from Air India after a rise in the amount of coronavirus infection cases, according to local media reports.
- Hong Kong recorded the highest number of new infections in almost a month.
- A passenger from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if he or she has a Covid-19 negative certificate from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, according to the rules issued by the Hong Kong government.
Hong Kong has suspended Air India from operating flights to its airport till October 3, after passengers traveling with the airline were tested positive for COVID-19
The ban has been put in place from September 20, Cathay Pacific said in a statement that five passengers from India who were on a Cathay Dragon flight between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on September 18 tested positive for Covid-19, even after they submitted negative nucleic acid tests before their trip. The passengers were earlier on an India Express flight.
Hong Kong recorded the highest number of new infections in almost a month. One-third of the 23 new cases were in people who had recently traveled from India. According to the Centre for Health Protection, only four local infections were reported. Hong Kong had banned flights operated by Air India in August too. These flights were part of India’s Vande Bharat Mission.
The Vande Bharat Mission started in early May to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
