Exclusive | Coronavirus: Hong Kong set to raise quarantine times for Cathay Pacific crew, others a month after changes to ‘high-risk’ country list
- Sources say the changes, which could come as soon as Monday, follow airlines being given time to adapt to a vastly expanded list of Group A destinations
- Cathay expected to end layovers in those destinations, instead travelling through medium-risk countries to mitigate impact of rules changes
The updated regulations – intended to reduce the risk of infections entering the community – could come into effect as soon as Monday, according to three sources.
But while the rules will apply to all local airlines, it will be the city’s sole long-haul carrier that faces the greatest impact as it continues to struggle through a pandemic that has battered its bottom line.
The planned tightening of rules emerged as Hong Kong confirmed three new Covid-19 cases involving arrivals from Qatar, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. They all carried the L452R mutation, which is linked to several coronavirus variants, including the more infectious Delta one.
The city’s official tally now stands at 12,152 infections, with 213 related deaths. Fewer than five preliminary-positive cases were also reported.