Hong Kong leader defends COVID flight ban policy

Hong Kong leader defends COVID flight ban policy

HONG KONG — Hong Kong's leader on Thursday defended her policy of temporarily banning flight routes that bring in coronavirus cases, as a leading airline industry figure warned the city had fallen "off the map" as an aviation hub.

The city's airport was previously one of the world's busiest but has been largely cut off throughout the pandemic as Hong Kong hews to China's strict zero-COVID policy.

"Circuit breaker" rules mean any airline that brings in three or more infected passengers on a single flight is suspended from flying that route for seven days.