Cathay Pacific cabin crew warn of ‘catastrophic’ consequences of not guarding against Wuhan virus as they demand right to wear masks on all flights
- Flight attendants’ union calls on airline to expand policy that allows crew on mainland routes to protect themselves
- Employees express concern about spending hours trapped in plane with passengers who may have come from Wuhan
Cathay Pacific flight attendants are fighting for the right to wear face masks on all flights as the Wuhan coronavirus spreads, with their union warning against the “catastrophic” effects of waiting until a staff member fell ill.
On Tuesday, with the virus already infecting people overseas, the airline said staff flying to mainland China could all wear masks, after it earlier implemented the policy on its daily flights to the central Chinese city.
But, the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, which represents about 7,000 of the airline’s 12,000 cabin crew, said that wasn’t enough, and called for it to be extended worldwide.
Crew members said it was a basic human right they be allowed to wear masks in the face of the new deadly virus that has killed six people in the mainland and has spread to Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
The union’s internal vice-chairwoman, Amber Suen, said because there were confirmed cases outside the mainland the policy had to be expanded.