HONG KONG- Hong Kong on Friday extended a ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including 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, India, Pakistan and Philippines.

Flights to Hong Kong are down 90% 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.

(Reporting by Twinnie Siu and Marius Zaharia; editing by Philippa Fletcher) ((marius.zaharia@thomsonreuters.com; +852 2843 6358;))