Flights were operating normally between Singapore and Hong Kong , when one in bound passenger to Hong Kong via Singapore Airlines flight SQ882 was found infected on Wednesday. Also, three other passengers failed to comply with requirements specified under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation
Hong Kong took the event strictly as done to other airlines at earlier instances, banned Singapore Airlines from operating flights between the two cities for 14 days, starting on Saturday, for breaching Covid-19 rules.
The covid-19 rules breach was event was covered in a press release issued by the Department of Health on Friday afternoon, However ,the department did not specify what requirements the passengers or airlines had contravened.
As a result of this current ban, the commercial Passenger flights from the city state operated by Singapore Airlines will be banned until April 16.
In another devepolment, the compulsory quarantine period for arrivals from three low-risk nations - namely Australia, New Zealand and Singapore - will be reduced from 21 days to 14 days with seven days of self-monitoring and a compulsory test on the 19th day beginning on April 9th.
The Situation - With the fourth wave of Covid-19 showing signs of abating in Hong Kong and a vaccination drive under way, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah revealed earlier this week that the government had sent a new proposal to Singapore to restore a planned travel bubble while writing to six other countries about resuming talks on such plans.
This is not the first case of Hong Kong banning a particular Carrier due to Covid-19 regulation breach , At earlier occasions, British Airways, Emirates, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines , Air india and Nepal Airlines have faced bans by the Hong Kong government after a number of passengers on their flights tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.
Hong Kong International Airport uses a full-body disinfection channel "CLeanTech" as a Covid-19 safety measure. Persons using the facility will have a temperature check before entering an enclosed channel for the 40-second disinfection and sanitizing procedures.
Hong Kong is among the hardest hit due to Covid-19 Travel restrictions as it lacks a domestic air travel network and depends largely on international flights for it's travel and tourism requirments.
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