Border shutdown extended indefinitely

Passenger numbers at the airport have collapsed since the new restrictions took effect. Photo: Reuters

The government has announced that a two-week border shutdown that had been due to expire on Tuesday will be extended indefinitely as the Covid-19 epidemic shows no sign of abating.



Under the rules, first implemented for 14 days on March 25, non-residents arriving from outside China are not allowed into the SAR. If they arrive from the mainland, Macau or Taiwan, they're denied entry if they've been elsewhere in the previous two weeks.



Travellers from the mainland, Macau or Taiwan, whether they are Hong Kong residents or not, must spend 14 days in compulsory quarantine.



Transit services at the airport are suspended under the rules. A small number of exemptions will remain in place.



The government said the number of Covid-19 cases in the SAR had doubled in a fortnight, with 75 per cent of new cases involving overseas travel.



It said the number of passengers arriving at the airport on Sunday was down by 82 per cent compared to March 24, the day before the restrictions took effect. Just seven of the 813 passengers arriving were not Hong Kong residents.