Hong Kong’s UK Flight Ban Leaves Students Stranded, Parents in Despair

Closed counters are seen at the Hong Kong International Airport, following the COVID-19 outbreak, in Hong Kong on Feb. 2, 2021. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

HONG KONG—For 22-year old Timmin Lam, who is studying in Manchester, the ban on flights from the United Kingdom to Hong Kong this week is the latest in a series of unrelenting measures that have prevented him from traveling home for almost two years.

“I feel trapped in the UK. I really wish the pandemic would improve,” he said.