Those flying in to Hong Kong must have a Covid-negative RTPCR result from a test done 72 hours earlier.
Hong Kong has banned flights from India for 14 days after dozens of passengers reportedly tested Covid positive after flying in on a Vistara flight from New Delhi on April 4. A similar ban has been placed on flights from Pakistan and the Philippines, too.
"The Government announced today (April 18) the invocation of the place-specific flight suspension mechanism for India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. From 00:00 on April 20, all passenger flights from these places will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong for 14 days," a Hong Kong government release said yesterday.
The release placed the three countries under the category of "extremely high-risk Group A", so as to restrict persons who have stayed there from boarding for Hong Kong.
Reports suggested that 47 passengers who flew in on the Vistara flight had tested positive, many during their mandatory quarantine period, the airline only said that it follows all guidelines.
"Vistara ensures strict compliance with all guidelines issued by the Indian as well as the destination countries' authorities for all flights, including all charter flights to and from Hong Kong. We will continue to be guided by any new requirements that may be introduced," said a Vistara spokesperson.
Earlier on Sunday, the Hong Kong government announced a suspension of all Vistara flights on Mumbai-Hong Kong route till May 2. This decision was taken after three passengers on Vistara's Mumbai-Hong Kong flight tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival, PTI reported. Vistara's flights on the Delhi-Hong Kong route had earlier been banned between April 6 to April 19, the agency reported.
All passengers flying into Hong Kong need to have a Covid-negative RTPCR result from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, according to rules.
India has, in recent weeks, seen an unprecedented spike in infections as part of what is being called the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Saturday, it recorded its highest ever number of fresh cases at over 2.61 lakh, setting off alarm bells. The number is expected to cross three lakh soon.
Many states have begun to report a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen apart from essential drugs like Remdevisir. Several parts of the country are now under a partial curfew or a quasi-lockdown, with the threat of a full-scale shut-down growing.