Hong Kong to ban passenger flights from UK to curb virus
Source: AP
By ZEN SOO
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong says it will ban all passenger flights from the U.K. starting Thursday as it seeks to curb the spread of new variants of the coronavirus.
It said in a statement Monday that the U.K. has been classified as “extremely high risk“ because of the “recent rebound of the epidemic situation in the U.K. and the widespread delta variant virus strain there.”
More than 95% of COVID-19 cases in the U.K. are of the delta variant, which was first identified in India. Cases have spiked in recent weeks as British authorities have relaxed coronavirus restrictions, allowing indoor gatherings and businesses including restaurants, cinemas and gyms to reopen. Scientists say the delta variant is much more transmissible than previous versions of the coronavirus, although it is uncertain if it is more deadly.
Under the classification, people who have stayed in the U.K. for more than two hours will be restricted from boarding passenger flights to Hong Kong.
FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2019, file photo, a group of Hong Kong residents waving U.K. flags demonstrate requesting right to British residency outside the British embassy in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s government says it will ban all passenger flights from the U.K. starting Thursday, July 1, 2021, as it seeks to curb the spread of new variants of the coronavirus. The ban comes amid heightened tensions between the U.K. and China over semi-autonomous Hong Kong, which was a British colony until it was handed over to China in 1997. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-uk-flight-ban-coronavirus-70af6fb3c74ca4f8ac34be31318b9817
