BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — Brunei resumed direct flights with Hangzhou, China on Aug 4, marking its first direct flights with the Chinese mainland after COVID-19 pandemic cut air connection between the two sides.

According to travel agencies and the Chinese embassy in Brunei, the round-trip direct flights between Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital, and Hangzhou will be carried out by Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), the sultanate's national carrier, with Boeing 787 or Airbus 320.

The flights will be flown every Tuesday from Aug 4 to Oct 24 for the time being. Passengers need to take mandatory isolation for 14 days after arriving at Brunei and Hangzhou.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Brunei had maintained regular flights to China including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Haikou, Nanning, Hangzhou and Changsha. But now the sultanate only has round-trip flights with Hong Kong every Tuesday and Thursday.

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on July 4 with the national tally standing at 141.

It marked the 89th consecutive day without new cases.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, there are 489 individuals who are currently undergoing mandatory isolation at the monitoring centers provided by the government, as they arrived in the country after traveling abroad.

There have been three deaths resulting from COVID-19 in Brunei and a total of 138 patients have recovered.