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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Pogeu Mahone who wrote (182508)

1/11/2022 2:49:24 AM

From: TobagoJack

Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 217786

Team HK taking omicron seriously, it appears, jailing elites and turning away planes

Amazing to watch

Just got notification that kids school shall go zoom starting coming Monday until Chinese lunar new year break, end January, and open after ~7 days break in February unless decision different at that juncture

Kids are happy as long as only zoom to end January.

Cliff-hanger

bloomberg.com

Hong Kong to Ban Transit Travelers From 150 Countries and Territories
Danny Lee11 January 2022, 11:10 GMT+8
Air passengers from so-called Group A, or designated high-risk countries, are set to be banned from transiting through Hong Kong International Airport, according to people familiar with the matter, another move in the financial hub’s aggressive effort to shield itself from omicron.

Airport officials recently briefed carriers about the plan, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details aren’t yet public. The suspension will start on Jan. 15 and run through Feb. 14, though the end date will be subject to review, one of the people said. Procedures for how the ban will operate are still to be laid out, another person said.

While traffic volumes are thin now due to the pandemic, the move is likely to disproportionately affect Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., the city’s flagship carrier that handles the vast majority of passenger transfers. Prior to Covid, Hong Kong was a busy hub for transits from mainland China, Taiwan and several other areas in the region, as well as long hauls such as the U.S. and U.K.

More:

Hong Kong Faces Worst of Both Worlds as Omicron Ruins Covid Zero

Hong Kong’s Busiest Airport Crown Is Now Distant Memory: Chart

Hong Kong is grappling with a relatively small outbreak of the omicron variant in the community, imposing fresh curbs on a broad range of activities as it strives to stick to a zero-tolerance Covid strategy. The government said Tuesday that in-person classes at kindergartens and primary schools would be suspended from Friday until after the Lunar New Year holidays next month.

There are around 150 countries and territories in Hong Kong’s Group A list, including the eight nations that have specific route flight bans in place due to Covid cases on board. Those eight are Australia, Canada, France, India, the Philippines, Pakistan, the U.K. and the U.S.

“Cathay Pacific’s cash burn may increase in 1Q as its capacity is cut further due to Hong Kong’s border restrictions. But it may have sufficient liquidity to withstand this, with HK$7.8 billion in government loans still undrawn.”

Sharon Chen, BI credit analyst

Hong Kong prohibited all passenger airport transfers in March 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, but gradually resumed them in the subsequent months, apart from into mainland China. While travel restrictions have severely restricted traffic throughout the Covid crisis, Cathay had said it was experiencing healthy demand on transit flights.

The suspension on passenger transfer services won’t apply to diplomats, government officials and athletes and staff participating in the Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to the people. The 2022 Winter Olympics start on Feb. 4.

“We are in close communication with the airport community on measures to strengthen infection control at the airport,” Airport Authority Hong Kong said in an emailed statement.

Countries in the Group A bloc include traditionally popular Hong Kong transit routes, including Singapore, Australia and a raft of European nations.

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