Stranded Residents Return After Flight Bans Lifted

Hong Kong residents stranded for months in nine overseas places began arriving home on Friday, after the lifting of flight bans imposed by the SAR government.

More than 2,000 people were expected to arrive from cities including London, Sydney and Kathmandu.

Several flights were coming in from Manila.

Giselle, a student, was one of the first to arrive from the Philippine capital.

She said she was glad to be able to reunite with her family, but the trip was hard to book and more expensive than usual.

"I've been waiting for the entire 2022 so far. I had planned to come here in December last year but it has been delayed until now," she said.

"I feel anxious but really happy. I get to see faces I haven't seen in a long time."

Several foreign domestic workers also said they had been waiting for months to come to Hong Kong.

"It's been such a long time. I want to work," said one of them, adding that she is not worried about the Covid situation in Hong Kong.