In this file photo taken on Aug 11, 2021,
a women walks past a flight information board at Hong Kong International Airport. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong confirmed one new imported Omicron infection on Wednesday as it tightened travel restrictions to five countries where the new COVID-19 mutant variant was also detected.
A total of 59 cases were reported from Dec 1 to 14 and all of them were imported, the Centre for Health Protection said
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Centre for Health Protection said the new Omicron infection involved a 21-year-old woman who arrived from the United States on Cathay Pacific flight CX845 on Dec 12.
The patient tested positive at the airport after developing symptoms on Dec 11. She had received two Comirnaty shots in the US.
“There are so far nine cases involving Omicron in Hong Kong…and were all detected at the Hong Kong International Airport restricted area, at a designated quarantine facility or at a designated quarantine hotel. There has not been any spread in the community,” the CHP statement reads.
In a separate statement, the government said it will tighten boarding and quarantine requirements for arrivals from Algeria, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Trinidad and Tobago after the Omicron variant was detected in these countries.
Starting Dec 18, non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed in these five countries within 21 days will not be allowed to enter the city.
Returning Hong Kong residents can only board a flight for the SAR if they have been fully vaccinated and have a recognized vaccination record.
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They will undergo quarantine for 21 days in a designated hotel, where they will get tested for the virus six times, followed by another test in a community testing center on the 26th day after their arrival.
Meanwhile, the CHP said that Hong Kong had one new imported COVID-19 case on Wednesday involving a 46-year-old man who returned from Germany on Dec 13. He tested positive for the L452R variant at the airport.
A total of 59 cases were reported from Dec 1 to 14 and all of them were imported. The city's tally stood at 12,496, the CHP added.