Hong Kong banning flights at fastest rate since January

Less than a week after Hong Kong rolled back some of the world’s strictest inbound travel curbs, at least six airlines have had routes banned, creating havoc for travellers and further undermining the city’s role as a financial hub. Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Korean Air Lines and Malaysia Airlines were slapped with week-long bans this month after breaching Hong Kong’s so-called circuit-breaker mechanism. A stoppage can be meted out if three or more Covid-19 cases are found on the same flight, or if there’s one confirmed infection and another non-compliant passenger. The six airlines’ bans occurred within four days, the most rapid flurry since 11 suspensions were levied over four days in January. The current tally accounts for 11% of all airline route suspensions issued so far this year. The bans come after Hong Kong eased a raft of travel measures on April 1 in response to mounting frustration over the city’s effective closure for most of the past two years due to pandemic restrictions. Authorities had lifted an outright ban on inbound flights from nine countries, including the US, the UK and Australia, and reduced quarantine for inbound travelers to one week. Infection rates are dropping as the city exits its largest outbreak since the pandemic began. There were a total of 2,777 new cases reported on Wednesday, the lowest level since Feb 14, and 84 deaths. Seven of the infections were imported, health officials said during the daily briefing.<br/>