London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 07, 2025

Hong Kong adds France, Russia to high-risk list; 7 new Covid-19 cases recorded

Hong Kong adds France, Russia to high-risk list; 7 new Covid-19 cases recorded

Arrivals from the countries must test negative for the coronavirus and isolate in hotel.

Hong Kong is adding France and Russia to its list of countries deemed at high risk of Covid-19, requiring arrivals from the two nations to test negative for the coronavirus before departure and to quarantine in a hotel upon landing.

Authorities also banned flights operated by Air India from New Delhi and an Indian airline jointly owned by Singapore Airlines running out of Chennai in the continent’s southeast for 14 days after they brought in 10 infected passengers.

Hong Kong confirmed seven cases on Friday, with the single local infection involving a social worker employed at a dormitory for recovering mental health patients. At least 14 people who came into contact with him have been quarantined.

The city has closed its borders to nearly all tourists since late March in a bid to limit the number of imported infections. With the addition of France and Russia, Hong Kong now has 13 countries on its high-risk list, including Britain, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the United States, with the last two the world’s worst-hit nations, sharing more than 15 million cases between them.

The regulations covering arrivals from France, which has more than 750,000 cases, and Russia, with roughly 1.35 million infections, will take effect on October 26.

Hong Kong third wave

Tracking the spread of local Covid-19 cases


Source: Centre for Health Protection


The Indian Air India flight from Delhi and an Air Vistara flight from Chennai each brought in five infected passengers on Thursday, triggering an automatic ban, which will run from Saturday until October 30. It is the third time the national carrier has been ordered to stop flights into the financial hub due to carrying too many people with Covid-19.

Four of the Air India arrivals were among Friday’s six imported cases, and the other infected passengers on board the two flights could be among the more than 10 people who have tested preliminary positive. The other two confirmed imported cases were from Nepal and Malta.

The city has recorded 5,220 Covid-19 cases, with 105 related deaths.

The local social worker, whose infection was untraceable, is employed by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong at Lei Cheng Uk House in Sham Shui Po, a transitional facility for people recovering from mental illness, with 41 residents. The patient, 28, was responsible for counselling, according to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection.

“He usually worked in the office, which is next to the dorm,” she said. “Residents would go to his office for counselling if necessary.”

Authorities have quarantined eight residents, a staff member and two volunteers who went cycling with the infected worker on October 12, while another three people who ate lunch with him and his family members must also be quarantined.

The facility would be closed for two weeks for disinfection, during which residents would not be allowed to leave, the Mental Health Association said. The remaining residents and staff at the dormitory will be tested. Specimen bottles to collect samples will also be distributed through a church in To Kwa Wan, which the man visited on October 11.


People queue up for virus test at the temporary testing centre in Yau Tsim Mong.


The global Covid-19 situation has been worsening in recent weeks. According to the World Health Organization, Russia has been reporting an increasing number of new daily cases since mid-September, with more than 10,000 confirmed daily in the past week alone.

While figures in France have been fluctuating, the daily count has been trending upwards, hitting more than 26,000 on a single day this week. Over the past four weeks, Hong Kong has recorded seven cases imported from France and three from Russia.

But more than 60 per cent of infections since Sunday have been locally transmitted, leading authorities to urge private doctors to watch out for patients with possible Covid-19 symptoms and to test them.

The government is expected to close temporary screening centres in Wan Chai, Kwai Tsing and Kowloon City on Friday, but one in Yau Tsim Mong is due to remain open until Sunday.

A mobile testing truck will also visit nightlife districts throughout the weekend to distribute specimen bottles and encourage people to get screened. The truck will cover Kennedy Town on Friday, Prince Edward on Saturday and Soho in Central on Sunday.

Following an infection linked to the city’s philharmonic orchestra, health experts have debated whether patients with mild symptoms should also be forced to get tested.

Chuang said orchestra members were still being screened, but the roughly 1,400 audience members at concerts on October 9 and 10 should come forward for voluntary testing, as authorities did not have a list of their names.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
×