SIA flights from S'pore barred in HK from April 3-16 after detection of Covid-19 case; Singapore reports 43 imported cases on Good Friday

An SIA spokesman confirmed the flight ban but noted that passenger services from Hong Kong to Singapore are not affected. - The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, April 2 (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights from Singapore have been barred from landing in Hong Kong for two weeks.

The move comes after a transit passenger who arrived there on Wednesday (March 31) was confirmed to have Covid-19 while three others on the flight failed to meet the regulatory requirements for entry into Hong Kong.

It also comes just as talks on re-establishing a much-delayed air travel bubble between the two cities had resumed.

The Hong Kong government said on Friday that the positive case was detected through a specimen collected at the airport.

Three passengers on the same flight - SQ882 from Singapore to Hong Kong - had also failed to comply with local Covid-19 regulations for inbound travellers.

Hong Kong's Health Department then invoked regulations to bar the daily SIA passenger flight from Singapore to Hong Kong from April 3 to 16.

No further details on the passengers were provided.

An SIA spokesman confirmed the flight ban but noted that passenger services from Hong Kong to Singapore are not affected.

SIA said in an updated statement that it has taken immediate steps to strengthen checks at the point of embarkation to ensure its customers are in compliance with Hong Kong’s regulatory requirements.

The airline will also assist Hong Kong health authorities in all contact tracing efforts related to this case.

“Singapore Airlines apologises to all affected customers. We are reaching out to them to offer all necessary assistance, and to minimise the inconvenience caused by this disruption,” said the spokesman.

Earlier this week, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said that Singapore is studying a proposal from Hong Kong to allow quarantine-free flights.

"We are very happy that Hong Kong has, in recent weeks, kept the pandemic under good control," Mr Ong had said in a statement on Monday. "This is a very positive development."

Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau had proposed that passengers taking the Singapore-Hong Kong quarantine-free bubble flights be vaccinated.

He said that Hong Kong residents who take part in travel-bubble arrangements would have to have two doses of vaccine and wait at least 14 days after the second jab before they can go on those flights.

Meanwhile, there were 43 new coronavirus cases confirmed as at Friday noon (April 2) - all imported and placed on stay-home notices or isolated on arrival.

There were no community cases or infections from migrant worker dormitories. More details will be announced on Friday night.

The new cases brought Singapore's total number of infections to 60,450.

ingapore has had 30 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December 2019, has infected more than 129 million people. Over 2.82 million people have died. - The Straits Times/ANN