Leader of Hong Kong defends the COVID-19 flight prohibition policy

On Thursday, Hong Kong’s leader defended her strategy of temporarily blocking flight routes that bring in Coronavirus cases, despite warnings from a top airline industry official that the city had “gone off the map” as an aviation hub.

The city’s airport, which was formerly one of the busiest in the world, has been virtually blocked off from the rest of the world throughout the pandemic as Hong Kong adheres to China’s rigorous zero COVID-19 policy.

Any airline that brings in three or more infected passengers on a single flight is barred from flying that route for seven days under “circuit breaker” laws.

On Thursday, city councilwoman Carrie Lam defended the policy, claiming that planes were bringing in infections “probably due to the fairly relaxed approach implemented in many countries” around the world.

Following mounting pressure from the business community and Hong Kongers trapped abroad, authorities backed down and lifted a complete flying ban on nine countries earlier this month.

According to Lam, more than 1,000 residents had returned to Hong Kong each day this month, up from only 200 the previous month.

She stated, “It is not correct to suggest that this travel liberalization has had no influence.”

Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, cautioned that Hong Kong was “essentially off the map” when she made her remarks.

Walsh told reporters on Wednesday that “(Hong Kong) is likely to lag significantly behind the rebound that we’re witnessing elsewhere,” according to a foreign news website.

Residents have scrambled to book other routes and amend necessary hotel quarantine bookings as temporary flight restrictions have been imposed on a regular basis, causing travel plans to be disrupted.

This week, six airlines, including Emirates and Cathay Pacific, had their routes blocked.

According to an International media outlet, Emirates’ Dubai-Bangkok-Hong Kong route has been stopped six times this year for a total of 77 days.

According to Walsh, Hong Kong’s limitations are “very severe” and have “directly resulted in the cancellation of many services,” with airlines finding it “extremely difficult, if not impossible,” to operate there.

Last month, 11 airlines and logistical behemoths wrote to the government, requesting that COVID-19 testing requirements for flight crews be eliminated before takeoff and upon arrival.

Prior to the epidemic, Hong Kong’s airport saw approximately 200,000 travelers each day.

However, the financial center, which bills itself as “Asia’s World City,” has become one of the world’s most isolated locations.

Even though the controls proved mainly ineffective this year when the omicron variety tore through, Lam’s administration argues there can be no modification from zero-COVID-19.

Since then, Hong Kong has had one of the highest virus-related fatality rates in the world.