Hong Kong has ended its ban on airlines found to have transported passengers with COVID-19.
The government said that testing of passengers on arrival and further testing while those passengers are quarantined, has stopped the majority of inbound COVID infections.
The government also cited problems caused by the ban for returning international students, A statement read “The social cost caused by the ‘circuit breaker mechanism’ is quite large, and it also brings unnecessary trouble to these international students and their families,”
The penalty for airlines if more than five passengers or five percent of a flight tested positive for COVID-19, was a ban for up to two weeks. As a result over 100 flights since the beginning of 2022 have been stopped, which has contributed to one of the world’s busiest transit hubs being brought to a virtual standstill.
Travellers must now take a PCR test before their flight, five additional PCR tests over 14 days and provide proof of vaccination.
