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Hong Kong third wave: alarm as overseas pilot seen visiting top tourist spot while Covid-19 test result was pending
- Cargo pilot from United States tells another visitor on Peak Tram that he had arrived from South Korea and was in the city for a few days
- Incident emerges just hours after the government announces it will tighten anti-coronavirus measures for aircrew and seafarers
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A foreign cargo pilot awaiting Covid-19 test results visited Hong Kong’s famed tourist spot The Peak despite a pledge by the airline industry that crews would self-quarantine in hotels, highlighting a weakness in the government’s efforts to contain the worsening coronavirus crisis.
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The incident emerged on Sunday just hours after the government announced it would tighten anti-coronavirus measures for aircrew and seafarers, who are exempted from having to quarantine.
Among the changes, which only take effect from Wednesday, aircrew must obtain negative Covid-19 results before they board flights to Hong Kong. Failure to do so will mean the need to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport and having to wait for the results.
Also, they must not take public transport during their stay.
Monday saw a record 145 new Covid-19 cases, the sixth straight day with more than 100 new infections, taking the total to 2,778.
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The government has granted visiting aircrew an exemption from the 14-day quarantine period, a move public health experts said was unwise. Some said the new measures came too late as exempted aircrew and seamen may have been a possible source of the recent spike in cases.
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