Hong Kong Bans Vande Bharat Flights, Cites ‘Poor COVID-19 Testing’

New Delhi: Hong Kong authorities have banned Air India’s ‘Vande Bharat’ repatriation mission flights for two weeks from Tuesday.

The ban was declared after 11 positive cases of COVID-19 were detected on AI’s Delhi to Hong Kong flight on August 14.

The move will affect thousands of Hong Kong-bound passengers stranded in Delhi.

Hong Kong invoked the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation alleging poor pre-flight testing for the virus. Officials may penalise the airline for the offence, South China Morning Post reported.

Hong Kong is one of the few regions in the world where COVID-19 is under control and there has been no lockdown there. Out of the 4,525 positive cases reported there, 3,599 people have recovered and 69 have died.