Hong Kong will resume to lift ban on international flights from nine countries in April
March 21, 2022, 5:17 am

Hong Kong will resume to lift ban on international flights from nine countries in April

A flight takes off from the Hong Kong International Airport in 2018. Photo: Felix Wong. صورة تعبيرية

The Arab News reported, citing the AFP, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday that the country will resume international flights from nine countries including the United States and Britain in April.

After the highly transmissible omicron variant emerged in January, authorities quickly put in place flight bans from eight countries deemed high-risk — including the United States, Britain, France and India — and in February added a ninth, Nepal.

But infections climbed rapidly within the finance hub despite tightening social distancing measures, and in three months Hong Kong recorded more than a million cases and 5,600 deaths.

She said during a press conference: “The circuit-breaker ... is inopportune now."

“The epidemic situations in those countries are not worse than Hong Kong’s, and most arrivals did not have serious symptoms. To extend the circuit-breaker will add to concerns and anxieties of Hong Kong residents stranded there.”

A man wearing a protective face mask takes a photo of the sunset at Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront as skyline buildings stand across Victoria Harbor following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Hong Kong. (Reuters)

Lam’s administration has been pummeled for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, for putting out unclear messages about proposed mass testing and lockdown measures.

Fear of being caught in a sudden lockdown fueled panic — causing residents to strip supermarket shelves bare — and led to a record high exodus of both foreign and local residents.

Hong Kong suspends transit flights from most of the world due to COVID-19

By mid-March, Hong Kong recorded a net outflow of more than 134,000 people leaving the city.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.