Thousands To Return As Nine Flight Bans End

Hong Kong was expecting more than 2,000 residents who've been stranded abroad for months to arrive back in the SAR on Friday as flight bans on nine territories came to an end.

People had been banned from flying to Hong Kong from countries including Britain, the United States and Australia since January 8 as officials attempted to minimise imported cases of the coronavirus. The ban was lifted for fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents from Friday.

Speaking on RTHK's Money Talk programme, businessman and Airport Authority board member Allan Zeman said he was hopeful that the lifting of the ban was the first "baby step" in an opening up that will see tourists return to the SAR.

"If everything goes smoothly with the residents returning home first, I think the government has on the horizon to slowly start to open up for the international flights," he told RTHK's Peter Lewis.

"Similar like [Chief Executive Carrie Lam] has done for April 21, where restaurants, gyms can open up, and then May 21 the bars, clubs, other premises can open up and hopefully by June, if the numbers continue low and infection rates are low, we'll be back in business," said Zeman, who heads the Lan Kwai Fong Group.

Ten direct flights will arrive from London, Manila, Cebu, Kathmandu and Sydney on Friday, with those departing from the Philippine capital accounting for 40 percent of the total.

Residents will have to serve a one-week hotel quarantine, half the previous requirement.