Over the past two days, the Government of Hong Kong indicated that the city’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has discovered 46 new COVID-19 cases within the city. Many of the new, asymptomatic cases arrived from Pakistan on an Emirates flight from Dubai.
30 new cases were identified on June 22, while 16 people tested positive for the coronavirus the following day. Documents issued by the CHP show that on June 20 and June 21, many of the virus-carrying people arrived from Pakistan. The authorities stated that 29 cases arrived in Hong Kong from Dubai via Emirates flight EK380, reported South China Morning Post.
Flightradar24.com data indicates that an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER on flight EK380 arrived in Hong Kong on June 20 and June 21, 2020. Both flights were operated by the same Triple Seven (registered A6-EQD). The Dubai-based airline restarted flights to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on June 16, after its last flight to HKG landed on May 30, 2020.
All arrivals from high-risk areas, including Pakistan, are sent to 14-day quarantine centers in Hong Kong. The most recent example of a similarly high number of cases detected onboard a single flight to HKG was on May 30, 2020. Then, Qatar Airways flight QR818 had 16 passengers test positive for COVID-19, as highlighted the report.
Another example of high volume of cases onboard a flight was when another Qatar Airways itinerary from Doha International Airport (DOH) brought 12 positive cases to Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH) in Greece in early-June 2020. Following the flight, Greek authorities suspended flights from Qatar to Greece for two weeks.