Omicron variant: Hong Kong adds Singapore and Iceland to list of high-risk nations, Cathay Pacific cancels 23 more flights
- Both nations have confirmed their first cases of the variant, prompting Hong Kong to toughen quarantine rules for its residents returning from the countries
- Third of Cathay’s passenger flights scheduled to depart Hong Kong International Airport cancelled
Singapore confirmed on Thursday that two people who arrived the day before were infected with the variant, but neither of them had any contact with the community and they were quickly isolated after being diagnosed.
Iceland also detected its first Omicron case on Thursday, involving a man who had not travelled abroad, was fully vaccinated and had received a booster shot. He has been admitted to hospital but his condition is not listed as critical, according to local reports.
The change in the nations’ status came on Friday and the longer quarantine requirements take effect on Monday.
Omicron was first identified by South African scientists and the variant has spread rapidly around the world, prompting governments to further restrict travel.
Hong Kong, which has recorded four cases, has followed suit and been hit itself with travel bans, with Nepal the latest nation to bar the city’s residents from entering.
The fluctuating travel rules and greater regulatory uncertainty prompted Cathay Pacific to cancel a third of its Friday flights amid the fallout over Hong Kong’s planned tightening of aircrew rules to prevent Omicron from seeping into the community.
According to Hong Kong airport flight data, 23 Cathay flights were axed out of the 67 scheduled to depart Hong Kong International Airport, as of 9pm. None of its cargo flights were affected.
On Thursday, the Hong Kong flag carrier withdrew 28 out of 61 planned passenger flights and five out of 15 cargo-only services.
The government has moved a host of countries into the highest-risk Group A category over fears of Omicron. Travellers and aircrew arriving from those places must undergo 21 and 14 days of quarantine on arrival, respectively.
Hong Kong’s Cathay axes passenger, cargo flights in latest contingency bid
Hong Kong has also ordered all transit travellers to be screened at least 72 hours before arrival as some countries such as Britain and Germany do not require preflight testing for the fully vaccinated.
The elevation of Singapore into the top threat category is expected to deal yet another blow to airlines. The nation is the busiest destination for flights departing Hong Kong in December.
For one Singaporean legal industry professional based in Hong Kong, the news has created a logistical nightmare. The man, who preferred to give only his first name Ignatius, said he was scheduled to fly back to visit his family early next month and had booked a hotel at Sai Ying Pun for his two-week quarantine stay upon his return.
But the hotel could not accommodate the extra week that the Hong Kong government was requiring and finding a new one was proving exceedingly difficult as many of the designated hotels were already fully booked for February, Ignatius said. The additional week of quarantine would also cost him an estimated HK$5,000 (US$640).
“There is a mad scramble going on for people who are returning to Hong Kong from countries that were just upgraded to Category A,” he said. “It’s very frustrating because the rules change overnight and at very short notice. Hotel lines are always jammed and hotel staff are also under a lot of stress.”
06:14
Why is the Omicron variant so concerning? Virologist warns Covid strain could ‘wreak havoc’ in HK
Ignatius said some of his friends were now rethinking their travel plans in light of the abrupt changes to the list of high-risk nations but he would go ahead with his trip as family was especially important to him.
The cancellation of Cathay’s flights comes on top of the airline’s intention to this month cancel up to a third of its closed-loop inbound flights and return the aircraft to Hong Kong only loaded with cargo.
It is understood that most of the passengers affected by Thursday and Friday’s cancellations were shifted onto other same-day flights. The government is planning more stringent restrictions for local aircrew, but is yet to make an announcement.
But the decision to impose tougher curbs on inbound travel is pushing airlines into taking pre-emptive action to stop crews suddenly being quarantined, which would render them unable to operate flights for up to a fortnight.
What do we know about the new coronavirus variant, and should Hong Kong be worried?
The airline’s closed-loop system involves crew volunteering to work on the highest-risk flights. They work continuously for three weeks then do a fortnight of hotel quarantine on their return to the city.
But Cathay does not have enough volunteer pilots to operate such flights now that dozens of countries are in the high-risk category, affecting 32 cities that Cathay serves.
Hong Kong on Friday confirmed three new Covid-19 cases, all imported and involving a mutated strain of the coronavirus, taking the official tally to 12,448 cases, with 213 related deaths. The three cases came from South Korea, the United States and Japan.
