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China coronavirus: after union fury, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways will let staff wear surgical masks on flights

  • Workers had accused the airline of violating their basic rights
  • Virus has already killed nine people and infected 440 others across mainland China

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Some Cathay Pacific flight attendants have stressed it is their basic human right to wear a mask to work. Photo: Winson Wong

Cathay Pacific Airways will let flight attendants wear surgical masks on all routes, amid the spread of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus.

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The change of policy comes after workers accused the airline of violating their basic human rights by only allowing the face coverings on some routes, and warned of the “catastrophic” effects of waiting until a staff member fell ill to take action.

Only crew on flights to mainland China, where nine people have been killed by the virus, were previously allowed to wear the face coverings. But on Wednesday, with cases reported in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand, the airline announced it had extended that to all flights.

China’s National Health Commission announced on Wednesday that the coronavirus outbreak – which began in the mainland city of Wuhan, Hubei province – had already killed nine people and infected about 460 others across the country. All of the deaths were in central Hubei.

A Cathay Dragon attendant wears a mask on a flight to Wuhan in early January. Photo: Linda Lew
A Cathay Dragon attendant wears a mask on a flight to Wuhan in early January. Photo: Linda Lew
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On Wednesday night, after Cathay’s announcement, Hong Kong got its first confirmed case.
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