Omicron variant: all transit passengers in Hong Kong must be tested before boarding flight into city, ‘smaller segregation zones’ for those stranded at airport beyond 24 hours
- City also moves five more countries to Group A high-risk list over fears of new variant
- Six new imported coronavirus cases confirmed, all of which involve mutated strains of the virus
All passengers transiting through Hong Kong’s airport will have to be tested for Covid-19 before they board their flights to the city, according to authorities, with the move set to kick in next Wednesday.
Officials also confirmed that transit passengers stranded at the airport for more than 24 hours would have to be confined to a smaller isolation zone, to reduce the risk of cross infection with people on other flights.
News of the fresh measures emerged on Thursday after a 38-year-old transit passenger who arrived from Qatar last week was confirmed with the new Omicron variant a day earlier. He had tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday.
The man spent four days in a restricted area of the airport due to a visa-related issue, testing positive during a pre-departure screening.
According to a press statement by the Food and Health Bureau, all transit passengers, including from Taiwan, will have to present results of a Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before boarding. The same has been required of passengers entering the city.
“This is to strengthen management of transit passengers and monitoring of the coronavirus,” the bureau said.
