Around 800 Hongkongers stranded in Britain have sought help from the Immigration Department as a result of the flight ban imposed by the Hong Kong government in late December.

The Hong Kong government has been criticized for failing to support residents stuck in the United Kingdom, who have to rely on their own dwindling resources to find a way home.

The government imposed a complete ban on commercial flights from the U.K. on Dec. 21, in response to reports of a more infectious mutation of COVID-19. The ban was most recently renewed on Feb. 10.

A freelance photographer, who gave her name as Fran, told Apple Daily that the flight ban was announced halfway through her work trip to the U.K. Her return flight was originally scheduled for early February but has been pushed back multiple times.

“My flight ticket kept getting changed. I had to cancel or postpone my work in Hong Kong that had been planned for February. I feel anxious and helpless,” she said.

Fran said she connected with other Hongkongers in similar circumstances, some of whom eventually decided to return home via a third country. Anyone who spends longer than two hours in the U.K. must spend 21 days in a third country before being allowed into Hong Kong — where they face a further 21-day quarantine. Travelers must also pay for their own COVID-19 tests.

“We need to figure out solutions by ourselves. I know some people contacted the Immigration Department, but it was of no use,” she said, adding that she felt the government was being deliberately unhelpful.

Sonia, a woman working in the U.K., said she needed to return to Hong Kong because her sister was critically ill. However, Hong Kong authorities refused to exempt her from the flight ban.

The Immigration Department told Apple Daily that it had received around 800 requests for assistance, and said it provided relevant information in a timely manner. The department will contact the local Chinese embassy for further assistance if necessary, a spokesperson said.

Kwun Tong district councilor Anthony Sheik Bux, who has been providing assistance to Hongkongers stuck in Britain, said he was worried about issues of mental health.

“People are under a lot of pressure, sometimes people would cry during our phone call,” Bux said. Around 130 out of 300 cases he handled involved some emotional distress.

“We always hoped that the Hong Kong government would provide a timetable, and [people] feel anxious because there isn’t one. Now we can only depend on the airlines. The earliest direct flight is scheduled for late March, which is very disappointing.”

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