Covid rules shutting down Hong Kong's aviation industry: Qatar Airways boss

Following Beijing's lead, Hong Kong has maintained some of the world's strictest quarantine measures and travel curbs, which has kept the city coronavirus-free but internationally isolated.

AFP

December 18, 2021 / 17:29 IST

Hong Kong international airport. (Image: Reuters)

Hong Kong's strict adherence to a zero-Covid strategy is damaging the hub's aviation industry and "killing" Cathay Pacific, a major shareholder in the city's home carrier told local media.

Following Beijing's lead, Hong Kong has maintained some of the world's strictest quarantine measures and travel curbs, which has kept the city coronavirus-free but internationally isolated.

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Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker took issue with a border-control rule that temporarily bans airlines that have brought in infected passengers.

"You can’t just shut the aviation industry (down) because somebody got infected coming in (on) someone’s aeroplane," he told the South China Morning Post.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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