Some of Cathay Pacific’s aircrew will be electronically tagged when they return to their home base in Hong Kong in yet another Orwellian twist of the territory’s dramatic pandemic response.
Local officials are under increasing pressure to bring Hong Kong’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak to date under control after more than 600 new cases were reported on Tuesday. Hong Kong is still clinging to its ‘dynamic zero’ strategy with a slew of new restrictions in force to temper transmission.
Cargo pilots and cabin crew working freight-only turnaround flights will be required to wear an electronic monitoring tag for at least three days while they are under virtual house arrest as part of yet more measures announced on Tuesday.
All other local aircrew are already detained in a quarantine facility for at least 14-days whenever they return to Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong government has slightly less stringent requirements for freighter aircrew because imposing a full two-week lockdown on cargo pilots would risk the territory’s supply of much-needed fresh food and other essential supplies.
Cargo aircrew are allowed to self-isolate at home but officials have been worried about compliance ever since two flight attendants broke their home quarantine and infected local people with the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
Under the latest rules, cargo aircrew can isolate at home and only break the quarantine once the negative result of a PCR test taken on Day 3 is returned. An electronic tag will make sure crew don’t leave their home address during their quarantine period.
In addition, Hong Kong has extended its vaccine mandate for local aircrew to include booster doses. Aircrew will have until April 30 to be fully vaccinated including a booster dose.
