Hong Kong plans to scrap flight ban on 9 countries on April 1

Hong Kong plans to scrap flight ban on 9 countries on April 1


Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a press conference at the government headquarters in Hong Kong on March 9, 2022.

Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Hong Kong plans to relax some anti-Covid measures next month. That includes lifting a ban on flights from nine countries, reducing quarantine time for arrivals from abroad and reopening schools.

The moves, announced on Monday by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, could quieten some criticism from residents who have become increasingly frustrated with the city’s stringent measures, some of which have been in place for over two years.

The flight ban would be lifted from April 1, while hotel quarantine for arrivals could be cut to seven days from 14 if residents tested negative, Lam told a news briefing. She had previously said measures would be in place until April 20.

Schools would resume face-to-face classes from April 19, after the Easter holidays, while public venues including sports facilities would also reopen from April 21, she said.

Blow to city’s reputation

Hong Kong’s border has effectively been shut since 2020, with very few flights able to land and hardly any passengers allowed to transit, effectively isolating a city that had built a reputation as a global financial hub.

The ban had made it very difficult for residents to return to the Chinese-ruled territory, with many spending time known as “washing out” in other countries for two weeks before being allowed to return.

The rules, together with constant mixed messaging from the government, including over whether a citywide lockdown and mass testing would take place, have triggered an exodus of residents in the past two months.

Net outflows show more than 54,000 people have left Hong Kong so far in March, compared with more than 71,000 in February and nearly 17,000 in December before the fifth wave of the pandemic hit, prompting fears for the city’s longer-term competitiveness.

Businesses and the city’s economy are reeling from widespread closures, while doctors say many of the city’s 7.4 million residents are grappling with rising mental health issues, particularly among low-income families.

Surge in cases

A plan to carry out mass coronavirus testing would be put on hold, Lam said, citing experts who said it was not a suitable time.

While the former British colony has officially stuck to the “dynamic zero” coronavirus policy, similar to mainland China, which seeks to curb all outbreaks, it has been shifting to mitigation strategies as deaths skyrocketed.

Hong Kong has registered the most deaths per million people globally in recent weeks — more than 24 times that of rival Singapore — owing to a large proportion of elderly people who were unvaccinated as the highly transmissible omicron variant ripped through care homes since February.

The densely packed city has recorded more than 1 million infections since the pandemic started and about 5,000 deaths — most of them in the past month.

As many as 4 million people could be infected, according to estimates from health experts, as many residents have contracted the virus and isolated at home without notifying authorities.



Source

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund exits Caterpillar and five banks on Israel concerns
World

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund exits Caterpillar and five banks on Israel concerns

An Israeli soldier walks near an armored vehicle in Qalqilya, West Bank, on August 7, 2025, during a night raid marked by confrontations with residents. The raid, part of ongoing Israeli operations in the West Bank, adds to the tension in Qalqilya, a city encircled by the Israeli separation barrier and frequently targeted in military […]

Read More
German autos sector slashes jobs as economic woes bite
World

German autos sector slashes jobs as economic woes bite

A general view of production lines at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant on June 4, 2025 in Rastatt, Germany. Florian Wiegand | Getty Images News | Getty Images A perfect storm of industry and economic challenges have weighed on Germany’s autos sector, which has shed tens of thousands of jobs over a one-year stretch to the […]

Read More
French stocks slide as Paris government faces risk of collapse
World

French stocks slide as Paris government faces risk of collapse

European stock markets retreated on Tuesday morning, pulled down by French equities as traders monitored the potential for a no confidence vote in the government next month. France’s CAC 40 index plummeted more than 2% in early deals before paring losses to around 1.75%. The country’s three main opposition parties said they would not back a […]

Read More