In an announcement made on Wednesday morning, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the banned countries were Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, Philippines, UK and US. Flights will be banned from January 8 for two weeks.
Lam was speaking as Hong Kong authorities launched a city-wide search for the contacts of a Covid patient and ordered a Royal Caribbean “cruise to nowhere” ship to return to port early. Nine passengers on the vessel were identified as close contacts of an infected patient who was linked to a new Omicron cluster.
Hong Kong has seen a surge in infections in the past fortnight after being largely virus-free for the past seven months.
However, the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has sparked fear among authorities of a steep rise in cases. The city reported 25 infections on December 25 - the highest figure since April.
Ms Lam announced that gyms, bars and nightclubs and indoor dining venues would be closed from Friday as she warned the variant was already putting strain on the city’s hospitals.
However, schools will remain open under the new measures.
Over the past week, Hong Kong authorities have locked down several residential buildings linked to emerging Omicron clusters in a bid to prevent the spread of the variant in the city.
The city, along with mainland China, is one of the few places in the world still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy. While other countries have opted for vaccination as a route out of the pandemic, the strategy seeks to eliminate all Covid transmission.
All overseas arrivals must undergo 21 days of quarantine upon entering Hong Kong - even if they are fully vaccinated.
Speaking on December 28, Ms Lam reiterated her commitment to a zero-Covid stance.
“Hong Kong has been taking very stringent measures to guard against importation of cases with a view to maintaining zero local infection,” she said. “In the face of the fierce onslaught of Omicron, we need to be even more vigilant.”
