The Hong Kong authorities have again implemented a ban on arrivals from 150 countries, including Indonesia.
The ban prevents people transiting in the territory starting Sunday 16th January 2022 to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.
“In order to control the spread of the highly contagious variant of Omicron, from 16th January to 15th February 2022, passenger transfer or transit services through Hong Kong International Airport for any person who has stayed in a Group A country for the past 21 days will be suspended,” the Hong Kong airport statement said on Friday 14th January 2022.
Besides Indonesia, other significant inclusions in the Group A list of countries include:
- Australia
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Japan
- Vietnam
- India
According to Reuters, the rule comes as Hong Kong is facing a surge of around 50 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 since late last year. Prior to the Omicron outbreak, Hong Kong had no cases of local transmission of COVID-19 for more than three months.
Hong Kong has still banned immigrants from Indonesia from entering since June 2021. However, Hong Kong now also prohibits migrants and travelers from Indonesia from transiting its territory.
Last week, Hong Kong also added to its ban on entry and transit from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK, and the US for similar reasons.