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Exclusive | Coronavirus: aircrew quarantine rules will be lifted if enough staff get Covid-19 vaccine, Hong Kong government tells airlines
- Sources say government told Hong Kong-based carriers that it would remove measures if vaccination rates among pilots and cabin crew improved
- Removal of rules could begin to help improve the battered finances of beleaguered airlines and start the long recovery from the impact of the pandemic
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Mandatory quarantine for local aircrew will be removed if enough staff are inoculated against the coronavirus, officials have told Hong Kong-based airlines, the Post has learned.
The government is putting pressure on local carriers to boost vaccination rates, which reflect the slow uptake for jabs citywide, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.
Airlines are being lured with the incentive of having costly quarantine measures removed, two sources said.
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Hong Kong introduced quarantine measures on February 20 for any local flight crew who had stayed outside the city. The rule exempted those arriving from mainland China, and Anchorage in Alaska, a key stopover for Cathay Pacific Airways freighter flights where crews in transit self-isolate.
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Inside Hong Kong's mandatory coronavirus quarantine camp at Penny's Bay
Inside Hong Kong's mandatory coronavirus quarantine camp at Penny's Bay
Aircrew must quarantine for 14 days, followed by seven days of self-health checks at home. Cathay Pacific requires staff to work for three weeks and do two weeks of quarantine at a hotel before returning to the local community.
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