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HONG KONG: Hong Kong mentioned on Sunday it’s shortening the ban on airways which might be discovered to have carried three or extra passengers who take a look at optimistic for COVID-19 upon arrival, because the variety of native instances continues to ease from its peak.
Beginning on Friday, the ban on particular person airline routes will probably be halved to seven days as a part of an ongoing “flight suspension mechanism,” the federal government mentioned in an announcement.
The change comes after the federal government mentioned final week a ban on flights from 9 international locations — Canada, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Britain, america, France, Australia and the Philippines — can be lifted on April 1.
If there may be not less than one optimistic take a look at and not less than one case of non-compliance with pre-departure testing on any single flight, the airline will even be suspended from flying the route for seven days.
Hong Kong reported 8,037 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday and 151 deaths, the second day in a row beneath 10,000 instances, as its newest wave of infections continues to ease.
The monetary hub will chill out the social distancing measures in phases beginning April 21, permitting restaurant eating after 6 p.m. with tables of 4 individuals, up from two presently.
Hong Kong’s financial system is ready to contract within the first quarter, breaking 4 quarters of restoration streak, as retail gross sales fell for the primary time in 12 months in February and export progress slowed, Monetary Secretary Paul Chan mentioned on his weblog.
Companies and town’s financial system are reeling from widespread closures, as the federal government has imposed stringent social distancing guidelines since January amid a dramatic spike within the omicron variant.
Whereas the previous British colony has formally caught to a “dynamic zero” coronavirus coverage just like that of mainland China, which seeks to curb all outbreaks, it has been shifting to mitigation methods as deaths skyrocketed.