HONG KONG, April 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will suspend
flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines from April 20
for two weeks after the N501Y mutant COVID-19 strain was
detected in the Asian financial hub for the first time,
authorities said in a statement late on Sunday.
The three countries would be classified as "extremely high
risk" after there had been multiple imported cases carrying the
strain into Hong Kong in the past 14 days, the government said.
The city reported 30 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, 29 of
which were imported, marking the highest daily toll since March
15. Hong Kong has recorded over 11,600 cases in total and 209
deaths.
Hong Kong authorities have been urging residents to get
vaccinated for coronavirus with only around 9% of Hong Kong's
7.5 million residents vaccinated so far.
The government last week widened the city's vaccine scheme
to include those aged between 16 to 29 years old for the first
time, as they aim to boost lacklustre demand for inoculations
amongst residents. Airlines impacted by Hong Kong's ban on travellers from
India, Pakistan and the Philippines include carriers such as
Cathay Pacific 0293.HK , Hong Kong Airlines, Vistara and Cebu
Pacific CEB.PS .