Coronavirus: Hong Kong pandemic adviser calls for end to cargo aircrew quarantine ‘loophole’ after Cathay Pacific pilot’s Omicron case
- Two-hour window for ‘essential’ travel in community risks potential outbreak, says Professor David Hui, as it brings Hongkongers face to face with new, more transmissible variant
- But when questioned on the subject, health secretary reveals no plan in the works to change policy; city, meanwhile, adds eight new Covid-19 cases, all imported
Health experts have called on the Hong Kong government to minimise contact between aircrew and the community at all costs, pushing for cockpit staff on cargo flights to undergo mandatory Covid-19 quarantine before returning to their families, while those eligible for home isolation should be prevented from going out to buy essentials.
But officials have so far given no indication they intend to further restrict the movement of arriving pilots.
Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of Chinese University on Sunday echoed other health experts in decrying a “loophole” that allowed local aircrew to not only self-isolate at home but venture into the community for two hours a day, risking a potential outbreak of the highly transmissible variant.
“Since currently there are not many local crew members, could the Department of Health consider sending officers to their homes to take testing samples for them?” Hui asked on a local television programme.
Coronavirus screenings, along with trips to get food or other essentials, are two of the reasons cargo aircrew can leave their homes under existing policy.