HK could be lifting UK flight ban on Friday: Govt

The government said on Tuesday that its flight ban on the United Kingdom and Ireland could be lifted on Friday – if the coronavirus situation there and in Hong Kong “remains largely unchanged”.

The travel ban has been in place since last December, when a mutant strain of Covid-19 rocked the UK.

The government said the decision reflects the improved situation in the UK and Ireland, and the relatively good vaccination rates there.

Incoming travellers would have to test negative three days before boarding their flight, and present proof of a booking for a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for three weeks.

Health minister Sophia Chan had said in late March that the ban could be lifted soon, but didn’t offer details of the timing.

Meanwhile, the government also extended flight bans for the Philippines, India, Nepal, Pakistan, as well as travel bans for those who have recently been to those countries as well as Brazil or South Africa.