Last flights from UK before the "circuit breaker" reached Hong Kong

Passengers on Cathay Pacific Flight CX252, one of the last flights to arrive from London before the temporary prohibition of arrivals from the United Kingdom gradually disembarked at Hong Kong International Airport at 11.58am today.

A Flight CX252 passenger, a student who just finished the coronavirus test and did not want to be named, called on the Hong Kong government to provide assistance to other students studying in the UK.

"The government has not taken into account the feelings of we students," he said. "The sudden policy has prevented many of my friends coming back. They have been stranded in the UK for a year."

The Hong Kong government announced Monday that there would be a "circuit breaker" policy for flights originating in the United Kingdom. Beginning July 1 all civilian aircraft from the UK will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong. Additionally, passengers who have stayed in the UK for more than two hours will also be prohibited from boarding civilian aircraft bound for Hong Kong.

Recently, the Delta variant, a more dangerous strain of the coronavirus, has caused a new wave of infections in the UK. About 95% of the sequencing cases in the UK from June 7 to 21 are due to the new variant. At the same time, infections of L452R, which is also a variant strain of the coronavirus, have been detected in more than 130 people arriving from the UK, which may worsen the epidemic situation in Hong Kong, said the government.

This latest "circuit breaker" policy implemented by the Hong Kong government has affected some students currently studying in the UK who planned to return to Hong Kong.

Eva CAI is a Hong Kong student attending summer school in the UK. She originally planned to return to Hong Kong on Aug. 8. The new policy worried her.

"If the policy is not broadened in the future I may have to fly to the mainland first and make other plans later," she said. "The current situation in the UK is quite serious. Lots of people are diagnosed every day. But many people on the street don't wear masks, and there are no hard and fast rules. "

Michelle CHAN, whose 17-year-old son is in high school in Oxford, also felt that the policy is too hasty and inhumane.

“The government has not considered the situation of these children, nor has it given the parents time to respond.” she said.

She said that her son would end his internship on July 9th. Six months ago she had booked him a return ticket for July 10. The sudden policy change would trap him in the UK, she said.