Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced the government will introduce a series of new restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19, as she warned the global financial hub was on the edge of another outbreak.
The new rules include a ban on flights from eight countries for two weeks from 8 January – the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, France and India.
Ms Lam was speaking as Hong Kong authorities launched a city-wide search for the contacts of a Covid-19 patient and ordered a Royal Caribbean “cruise to nowhere” ship to return to port early, as health officials feared a fifth wave of infections.Nine people on the cruise ship carrying 3,700 people were found to be close contacts in an Omicron variant outbreak.
Like mainland China, Hong Kong pursues a zero-Covid policy and maintains some of the world’s strictest measures – including virtually closed borders, weeks-long quarantines, targeted lockdowns and mass testing.
The city has recorded 114 Omicron cases as of Tuesday evening, with the vast majority identified at the airport or during the 21-day hotel quarantine that is mandatory for most arrivals.