Hong Kong bans Air Canada flights from Vancouver after passenger tests positive for COVID-19
The government of Hong Kong has banned Air Canada flights from Vancouver after a passenger on a recent flight tested positive for COVID-19.
The Chinese special administrative region announced the ban in its update on the pandemic on Friday, saying that one person on Air Canada flight 7 from Vancouver to Hong Kong on Oct. 13 had tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival.
One additional passenger failed to comply with local regulations, according to the update. The Hong Kong government did not specify what the traveller did that was against the rules.
The ban on Air Canada flights from Vancouver to Hong Kong will be in place from Oct. 16 to 29.
In a statement, Air Canada told CTV News Vancouver it has four flights between Vancouver and Hong Kong during that window, which have all been cancelled.
"Air Canada’s Toronto-Hong Kong passenger flights and Vancouver-Hong Kong cargo flights are not affected and will continue to operate as scheduled," the airline said.
Travellers who were booked on the four cancelled flights are being rebooked and offered alternatives such as travel on a later date, Air Canada said.
"Customers are also eligible for a refund of the remaining value of their tickets if we are unable to rebook them on a new flight departing within three hours of their original departure time," the statement reads.
International travellers bound for Canada are required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their departure.
The rules for international flights departing Canada depend on the destination country. In the case of Hong Kong, fully vaccinated travellers arriving from Canada are required to provide proof of vaccination and a negative test. They're also required to spend 14 days in quarantine upon arrival, unless the reason for their travel meets the criteria for a quarantine exemption.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
'Do I ghost her again?': Quebec minister's office ignores questions on housing as a human right
The office of Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau prefers to openly ignore journalists' requests.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.