Hong Kong suspended all flights connecting it to India from April 20 to May 3 due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, aviation industry sources said on Sunday.
They said the Hong Kong government also suspended flights to and from Pakistan and the Philippines during the aforementioned period.
The Hong Kong government’s move came after 50 passengers from two Vistara flights this month tested positive for Covid-19 during an arrival test.
According to the rules, all passengers who wish to come to Hong Kong must have with them a Covid-negative RT-PCR result from a test carried out 72 hours before travel.
Earlier Sunday, the Hong Kong government announced the suspension of all Vistara flights on the Mumbai-Hong Kong route until May 2.
The move came as three passengers on the Vistara Mumbai-Hong Kong flight on Sunday tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival.
As of Sunday, a total of 47 passengers who were on the Delhi-Hong Kong Vistara flight on April 4 have tested positive for Covid-19 in Hong Kong. Vistara’s flights on the Delhi-Hong Kong route had previously been banned from April 6 to 19.
Vistara did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on this matter.
A record single-day increase of 2.61,500 coronavirus infections brought the number of cases in India to 1.47,88,109, while active cases topped the 18 lakh mark, according to data from the Ministry of Health of Union updates Sunday.
The death toll rose to 1,77,150 with a record 1,501 new deaths, according to data updated at 8 a.m.