There are no more flights to Hong Kong.Hong Kong will ban all UK flights to stop the spread of Covid's Delta variant.The UK will be rated as "extremely high risk" and Hong Kong will receive the highest rating for pandemic travel.All incoming passenger flights from Britain will be affected by the ban, which takes effect on July 1.This also happens amid tensions between China, the West and China over a crackdown against dissent in Hong Kong.People who have spent more than two hours in Britain recently won't be permitted to board any flight to Hong Kong.According to the city authorities, the decision was made based on the recent rebound of the pandemic in Britain and the widespread Delta variant virus strain in the country.There are approximately 8 non-stop daily flights between the UK and Hong Kong. All flights depart from London.The ban will not affect flights outbound from Hong Kong to Britain.Record-breaking spike in the UKDespite its high vaccination rates, the UK currently has the highest daily number of new cases in Europe. The most common cause of new infections is the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India.However, Hong Kong confirmed the first local Delta variant last week, ending a 16 day streak of zero local cases.Since 2020, the city has been subject to some of the most stringent border controls in the world. This helped keep the pandemic's spread low.Officials reported that the city has seen an increase in the number of Delta variant cases among people who have recently arrived from the UK. These individuals, like all other incoming travelers, must be quarantined.According to Reuters news agency, parents from Hong Kong who have children studying in the UK were shocked that their children would be left behind.Hong Kong has managed to keep the number of cases at a low level throughout the pandemic.After a ban in place from May 2020 to December 2020, the 1 July ban was Hong Kong's second attempt to ban British arrivals.Hong Kong has already banned flights from many other countries due to rising cases of the Delta strain.Continue the storyThis ban is being implemented amid tensions arising from Hong Kong's recent pressures on the opposition media and voices under controversial national security laws.According to the UK government, it "restricts Hong Kong's rights and freedoms and is a serious violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration".
