Hong Kong airport ‘plans passenger segregation’ to curb cross-infection, part of push to reopen border with mainland China

Hong Kong airport officials plan to segregate passengers on mainland China flights from other international travellers in an unprecedented move to prevent cross-infection and build a stronger case for reopening the city’s border with the rest of the country, the Post has learned. The proposal to divide Hong Kong International Airport into two zones also involves assigning staff to either side with no mixing allowed during working hours, according to sources who were briefed last week on the plans. They said the finer operational details were still being finalised but the airport was set to confirm the segregation arrangements by November 10 with a view to implementation soon after. The move is part of Hong Kong’s tougher zero-Covid strategy aimed at achieving closer alignment with Beijing – prioritising the return of two-way travel with the mainland ahead of opening up to the rest of the world. Addressing the matter, the Airport Authority only said it “constantly reviews preventive measures according to the government’s latest guidelines”. The Food and Health Bureau, meanwhile, said the government was reviewing the arrangements at the airport “so as to further enhance the infection control measures”. “This includes possible further segregation of groups of passengers … arriving/travelling to and from places of different risk levels,” it added. Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a government pandemic adviser, said the airport’s plan was a good way to reduce cross-infections.<br/>