Hong Kong announced strict new anti-coronavirus controls, banning flights from eight nations, shuttering bars and gyms and cancelling evening restaurant dining after the Omicron variant was detected within the city.
The city has recorded 114 Omicron cases as of Tuesday evening, with the vast majority identified at the airport or during the 21-day hotel quarantine that is mandatory for most arrivals. But a small community outbreak traced to Cathay Pacific airline staff in recent days has sparked the imposition of tough new measures.
Chief executive Carrie Lam said health officials now fear the contagious variant was silently spreading within the community. “We have cases that have their sources identified but not the route of transmission,” she told reporters.
Flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, UK and US will be banned from midnight on Saturday for two weeks.
