HK may forgo transit passegers

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From South China Morning Post

Covid-19 travel bubbles may require flights to forgo transit passengers, commerce minister says

Transit passengers may not be allowed on some flights between Hong Kong and its future travel bubble partners in order to ensure everyone on board is

coronavirus-free, the city’s commerce minister has said.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah also noted, in a Sunday interview with local broadcaster TVB, that Hong Kong citizens travelling to some destinations, particularly larger countries, could face restrictions on their movements given how the Covid-19 situation can differ among regions.

Yau also took aim at the ongoing “Made in China” row with the United States, as the city’s secretaries for administration, finance and labour used their official blogs to offer their own takes on how Hong Kong can tackle issues ranging from unemployment and a swelling budget deficit to the overall economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Sunday, Hong Kong had recorded 5,023 coronavirus infections, with 103 related deaths.

Earlier this month, the government announced it had been in talks with 11 destinations, including Japan and Thailand, to form travel bubbles, potentially throwing a lifeline to the struggling tourism industry but also raising concerns about the potential impact on public health.

Tourism stakeholders have supported the concept but have yet to be given a timeline, leading some to warn the city’s embattled economy was in danger of collapse.

But Yau said the city government needed to be cautious in negotiating such plans.

“[We need to discuss] whether the planes can include people coming from outside Hong Kong [and the partner city] … and certain flights may only fly from this city to Hong Kong and back,” he said.

“We have had initial discussions with 11 countries, and have discussed issues such as what I’ve called ‘double insurance’, requiring travellers to get tested before they fly and after they have arrived,” he said.

Such tests must meet high standards, Yau added, otherwise, even one infected traveller entering Hong Kong could mean a turn for the worse in the city’s pandemic situation.