Hongkongers Welcome Easing Of Flight Ban

Hong Kong residents currently stranded in nine countries amid a Covid flight ban have welcomed the government’s decision to lift the restriction, saying they’re glad to finally be able to return to the SAR.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam had announced on Monday morning that from April 1, Hong Kong residents can fly in from Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US.

People arriving from these countries and other parts of the world will also need to spend a week at quarantine hotels, instead of the current 14 days.

A mother said her daughter, who's studying in Canada, is happy to learn about the rule changes as she hasn’t had a chance to return to Hong Kong for two years.

"We almost gave up [on returning] because we simply cannot afford washing out in a third country for two weeks, and then coming back to Hong Kong for a 14-day quarantine," the mother told RTHK.

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien also welcomed the lifting of the flight ban, but said it should come into effect immediately.

"Policies are policies. Market arrangements, you leave it up to the market," Tien said, rejecting the government’s argument that the restriction can only be lifted in April to allow time for airlines and hotels to make the necessary adjustments.

The legislator also called on the government to consider conducting the now-shelved universal mandatory testing scheme next month to grasp a better understanding of Hong Kong’s epidemic situation, and work towards re-opening the border with the mainland.

"I would want to be more aggressive, have [the universal mass testing] conducted by mid-April, so that the government retain some control over the recovery calendar," Tien said.

A lawmaker with the New People's Party, Dominic Lee, also said he's disappointed with the suspension of the universal testing scheme.

Lee accused the SAR government of "wasting the central government's efforts", as Beijing had deployed a large amount of manpower and resources to support Hong Kong's Covid fight.