Coronavirus: another blow for Hong Kong helpers as Cebu Pacific becomes second airline banned since vaccination records deal

The two-week halt on flights from Manila follows a similar ban issued to Philippine Airlines last week, further crimping travel plans for domestic workers

Chief Executive Carrie Lam recently revealed that the Penny’s Bay quarantine facility would be ready to accommodate 800 helpers by late September

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Philippine budget airline Cebu Pacific is the latest carrier from the country to have its route from Manila banned for two weeks. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 11:58am, 3 Sep 2021Updated: 10:19pm, 3 Sep 2021

Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ largest budget airline, has been banned from operating passenger flights from Manila to Hong Kong for two weeks from Friday, in yet another blow to Filipino domestic helpers only recently granted the right to once again travel to the city for work.

In an advisory issued on Tuesday night, the airline said the government had temporarily prohibited the entry of its passenger flights from Manila, after four travellers who departed the Philippine capital on September 1 tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Hong Kong.

National carrier Philippine Airlines was hit with a similar 14-day ban only last week. Cebu Pacific has cancelled flight 5J272 from Manila to Hong Kong from September 3 to 16, while its return flight from the city to Manila, 5J 273, will proceed as scheduled.

The quarantine centre at Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island will be able to accommodate 800 domestic workers by late September, according to city leader Carrie Lam. Photo: May Tse

The airline said affected passengers had been informed and could select their preferred options for rescheduling through its website booking portal until 30 days from the date of departure.

In recent months, thousands of would-be helpers in the Philippines and Indonesia lining up to work in the city found themselves stuck in limbo because of Hong Kong authorities’ reluctance to accept Covid-19 vaccination records from their home countries.