Macao, Hong Kong declare two-week flight bans over Omicron

Macao has announced a two-week ban on commercial passenger flights from regions outside mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong from midnight on January 9 to midnight on January 23 to prevent the spread of Omicron, according to the country's government information bureau. "All civilian flights from outside China are prohibited from carrying passengers to Macao from midnight on January 9, until 11:50 on January 23, 2022," it said. Two airlines likely to be affected by the temporary ban are Scoot and Qatar Airways, while most other airlines serving the Chinese special administrative region of Macao fly in from the mainland, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. The most popular routes from Macau Int'l are Shanghai Pudong, Taipei Taoyuan, and Beijing Capital. Hong Kong has also ordered a two-week ban from January 8 to January 21 on flights from eight countries as the city attempts to stem an emerging Omicron outbreak. Incoming passenger flights will not be permitted from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK, and the United States, including connections, according to a government statement.<br/>