Hong Kong has extended a ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including Pakistan, India, the United States and Britain, and imposed one on Nepal until March 4, with the government citing concerns over a growing Covid-19 outbreak.

The other countries are Australia, Canada, France and the Philippines.

Flights to Hong Kong are down 90 per cent and hardly any are allowed to transit as the financial hub isolates itself from the world in the hope it can contain a coronavirus outbreak, even though new infections are overwhelmingly local transmissions.