This specific suspension mechanism prohibits an airline from operating a particular route for 14 days if three or more infections are detected on it among passengers on a flight.
The government announced on Sunday that the suspension period would be reduced from 14 days to one week from April 1.
Airlines and logistics companies have been pushing for the measure to be scrapped altogether, but Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said there was "no room for major relaxation" on infection control. imported products remaining "a fundamental pillar of the local health policy".
Once a global logistics and transport hub, Hong Kong has imposed some of the toughest border restrictions in the world as part of its "zero Covid" policy.
Last Monday, the city took a first step towards easing restrictions by announcing the lifting of the ban on flights from nine countries from April.
But the pace of reopening is lagging far behind that of its counterparts in the region, particularly rival financial hub Singapore, which said last Thursday it would lift restrictions for all vaccinated travelers this week.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that 11 airlines and logistics giants had sent a letter asking for the suspension of flights to be lifted, as well as Covid-19 testing requirements for crews before takeoff and on arrival.
“We will never be able to meet the aspirations and needs of the aviation industry,” Ms. Lam reacted at the press conference on Sunday.
Travelers at Hong Kong International Airport, March 21, 2022 DALE DE LA REY AFP / Archives
“We are in a public health emergency and therefore each company must make sacrifices”, she decided, refusing to establish a detailed roadmap for the exit from the crisis, affirming that the measures had to be adjusted from time to time according to the evolution of the situation.
© 2022 AFP