image courtesy of Getty Images To combat the spread of the Delta form of Covid, Hong Kong is banning all flights from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom will be classed as a “very high-risk” country, the greatest level of risk for pandemic travel that Hong Kong possesses. The restriction will take effect on July 1st and will apply to all incoming passenger aircraft from the United Kingdom. It also comes at a time when China and the West are at odds over a crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. People who have recently spent more than two hours in the United Kingdom will not be allowed to board flights to Hong Kong from any airport, according to the restriction. The decision was made because to the “recent comeback” of the pandemic in the UK and the “widespread Delta variant virus strain” in the country, according to the city’s officials. Despite excellent vaccination rates, the UK has by far the highest number of new cases each day in Europe. The Delta variety, which was first discovered in India, is responsible for the majority of the new infections. Last Thursday, Hong Kong confirmed its first local Delta variation, breaking a 16-day streak of no local cases. Since 2020, the city has maintained some of the strongest border controls in the world, which has helped keep infection rates low throughout the epidemic. Officials claimed the city has recently seen an increase in Delta variant cases among those traveling from the United Kingdom, who, like all new travelers, must be quarantined. image credit: Reuters The flight embargo, which began on July 1, is the second time Hong Kong has halted arrivals from the United Kingdom, following a prohibition that lasted from December 2020 to May of this year. The forthcoming embargo will not affect flights from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom. Due to an increase of Delta strain cases, Hong Kong has already banned flights from Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The new flight ban comes as tensions rise over Hong Kong’s recent push on opposition media and dissenting voices. Apple Daily, the city’s largest pro-democracy daily, has been raided and several of its journalists imprisoned in recent weeks, forcing it to close. Several high-profile campaigners have been detained in recent months and are awaiting trial. Is it possible for 5.4 million Hong Kong citizens to presently live in the United Kingdom? Citizens of Hong Kong have been granted ‘assistance’ in relocating to the United Kingdom. The majority of the arrests and the crackdown on journalists are in accordance with Hong Kong’s national security law, which makes secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces illegal and carries a potential term of life imprisonment if those detained are found guilty. It “restricts the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and constitutes a clear and serious infringement of the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” according to the UK government. There is also friction between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, following London’s introduction of a visa system that allows millions of Hong Kong residents to live and work in the United Kingdom. It also provides them with a path to British citizenship, which has enraged Beijing. Pandemic of Coronavirus China Traveling by plane Read More about Hong Kong
