Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday asked Japan to remove restrictions on direct flights from the city, which were imposed following the explosion of coronavirus cases in mainland China.

The city deployed similar curbs during its own fight against Covid, including rapid bans on airlines for carrying virus-positive passengers and travel restrictions for nations with major outbreaks.

Japan became one of the first countries to impose China-specific travel restrictions this week as infections surged across the mainland following the dismantling of Beijing's zero-Covid strategy.

They include restricting direct flights from Hong Kong to four airports -- Tokyo's Narita and Haneda, Kansai in Osaka and Nagoya's Chubu.

Hong Kong's transport department said Wednesday it was "greatly disappointed by Japanese authorities' hasty decision during the peak tourist season".

The department said it had contacted the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong to "solemnly request" a reversal of the decision -- which takes effect from Friday.

It added that the affected airlines have been told they can still fly empty planes to the restricted airports to pick up any stranded passengers in the coming days.

From Friday, Japan will also require on-arrival virus tests for passengers from China, but that will not apply to travellers from Hong Kong and Macau.

Hong Kong had followed a version of China's zero-Covid policy and imposed some of the strictest travel curbs in the world during the pandemic, which left the business hub isolated for more than two years.

The city only began lifting restrictions recently, ending mandatory hotel quarantine for all arrivals in September.

Since then, travel has surged as Hong Kongers clamour to take holidays and visit loved ones overseas.

Japan, which lifted its own ban on foreign arrivals in October, has also seen a major spike in travel.

In May this year, just 700 Hong Kong arrivals were recorded at airports in Japan. By November, that number leapt to 83,000.

US considering Covid entry restrictions for travelers from China
Washington (AFP) Dec 28, 2022 - The United States is considering Covid entry restrictions for travelers from China, US officials said Tuesday, after Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month.

Infections have surged across China as key pillars of its containment policy have been dismantled, prompting US officials to express concern at the potential for new variants to be unleashed.

That potential became even more real Monday when Beijing said it would scrap mandatory Covid quarantine for overseas arrivals from January 8, prompting many in China to rush to plan trips abroad.

"There are mounting concerns in the international community on the ongoing Covid-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data, being reported from the PRC," the US officials said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Beijing authorities have acknowledged the outbreak is "impossible" to track and have done away with much-maligned case tallies, in addition to narrowing the criteria by which Covid fatalities are counted.

But it is the lack of genomic data that has sparked particular concern abroad, making it "increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify any potential new variants and take prompt measures to reduce the spread," the US officials said.

The United States "is following the science and advice of public health experts, consulting with partners, and considering taking similar steps" to countries such as Japan and Malaysia, which have announced public health measures to counter the spread of Covid from China.

China's loosening of measures effectively brings the curtain down on a zero-Covid regime of mass testing, lockdowns and long quarantines that has roiled supply chains and buffeted business engagement with the world's second-largest economy.

Beijing's foreign ministry said Tuesday that countries should uphold "scientific and appropriate" disease controls that "should not affect normal personnel exchanges."

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China's propaganda machine sputters in zero-Covid reversal
Beijing (AFP) Dec 24, 2022
China's state media is struggling and censors are working overtime as Beijing gropes for a coherent narrative in the wake of the sudden reversal of its hallmark zero-Covid policy. For years, the country's propaganda apparatus hailed zero-Covid as proof of the superiority of the Communist Party's authoritarian rule and the wisdom of powerful President Xi Jinping. But now its usual mouthpieces have been left to spin the decision to scrap strict travel curbs, quarantines and snap lockdowns as a vic ... read more