Hong Kong to take residents home from Britain with designated flights amid epidemic

HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong will allow its residents to return from COVID-19-stricken Britain on designated flights later this month as the epidemic situation there has shown signs of abating.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said Thursday that the designated flights will be the CX2252 flights departing London on the morning of April 21 and 28.

Travelers will be required to present negative result proof of a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours prior to the departure time, the government said.

The government said the arrangement is to ensure the orderly return of the relevant Hong Kong residents and reduce the infection risks of a large group of travelers arriving in Hong Kong at the same time.

After arriving in Hong Kong, they will undergo 21-day compulsory quarantine at a designated hotel and receive virus tests during the period.

Hong Kong imposed travel restrictions for people from a number of places including Britain at the end of December last year due to the worsening pandemic situation. The government said Thursday that the restrictions remain effective, except for those boarding the designated flights.