Hong Kong announces two-week ban on flights from Canada

Hong Kong authorities have announced a two-week ban on flights from Canada, the United States, and a handful of other countries, starting Sunday.

Passenger flights from Australia, Great Britain, the Philippines, India, France, and Pakistan are also barred from entry until Jan. 21.

The ban also impacts passengers who may have a stopover in any of those countries, the government said.

“We understand that the place-specific flight suspension mechanism is an extremely stringent measure. As an international city, Hong Kong has all along seen large numbers of Hong Kong residents returning from these eight places, and so the relevant measure will inevitably affect the return journey of relevant Hong Kong residents,” it said.

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Hong Kong is facing the “rapid deterioration of the local epidemic situation” and has imposed other strict new measures as a result of rising COVID-19 case counts.

It is also holding 2,500 passengers on a cruise ship for testing as the city attempts to stem an emerging Omicron outbreak, many linked to several Cathay Pacific crew members.

It’s believed many of the crew members broke isolation rules and dined at restaurants in the city before they were tested.

Dining at restaurants after 6 p.m. will also be banned starting on Friday.

With files from The Canadian Press