Hong Kong is set to resume international flights from the United States, Britain and seven other countries, the government said as it announced a loosening of some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions.
The finance hub has struggled to maintain China's zero-Covid policy during an Omicron outbreak. After the highly transmissible variant fuelled a fresh wave of cases in January, authorities quickly put in place flight bans from eight countries deemed high-risk - including the United States, Britain, France and India - and in February added a ninth, Nepal.
But infections climbed rapidly, with Hong Kong recording more than a million cases and 5,600 deaths, with the bulk of the toll among its unvaccinated elderly population.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said starting 1 April, Hong Kong will lift flight bans - referred to as a "circuit-breaker" - for the nine countries. "The circuit-breaker ...