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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.