JAKARTA - Hong Kong will ban all flights from the UK to curb the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. The decision comes as the UK has been designated a 'very high risk' country, Hong Kong's highest-ranking for pandemic travel.
The ban took effect on July 1 and affects all passenger flights entering from the UK. The ban also comes amid political tensions between China and the West over a crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
The ban means people who have recently spent more than two hours in the UK will not be allowed to board flights to Hong Kong from any airport.
Hong Kong authorities said the decision was based on the re-growth of COVID-19 cases in the UK, as well as the widespread of the Delta variant virus strain in the UK.
In total there are about eight non-stop flights daily from the UK to Hong Kong, all flying from London. In contrast, flights out of Hong Kong to the UK are not affected by this ban.
Despite high vaccination rates, the UK is currently recording the highest daily number of new cases in Europe so far. Most of the new infections are linked to the Delta variant, which was first detected in India.
However, Hong Kong confirmed its first local Delta variant just last week, ending a 16-day streak of zero local cases. Hong Kong itself has some of the strictest border restrictions in the world since 2020, which is helping to keep the number of infections low throughout the pandemic.
Hong Kong officials said the country had recently recorded an increase in the number of cases of the Delta variant in people arriving from the UK, who like all incoming travelers must be quarantined.
According to Reuters news agency, Hong Kong parents with children studying in the UK were shocked that they would now be stranded overseas.
The July 1 flight ban is the second time Hong Kong has stopped arrivals from the UK after a ban from December 2020 to May this year.
Previously, Hong Kong had banned flights from several other countries due to rising cases of the Delta strain, including Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
SEE ALSO:
The new ban comes amid rising tensions over Hong Kong's recent pressure on opposition media, as well as dissent under controversial national security law.
The British government said it limited the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people and constituted a clear and serious violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
