Coronavirus: pilot’s positive test sparks calls for review of Hong Kong exemptions for aircraft and ship crews
- No local infections again but the city has been hit by a surge of imported coronavirus cases, with 11 recorded on Saturday
- Tighter controls are needed for crew members given the global pandemic situation remains severe, medical expert says
Two Hong Kong health experts have called for tighter Covid-19 testing arrangements for airline and cruise ship crews, after a pilot who returned from overseas was confirmed as having the coronavirus.
The 54-year-old cargo pilot, who had been to Kazakhstan and Turkey, was among 11 imported cases recorded on Saturday. He was exempted under the current law from coronavirus testing and quarantine but went to a private doctor after his return and tested positive for the virus.
Hong Kong has now gone three weeks without local transmission of Covid-19, with zero infections recorded on Saturday.
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Under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, aircraft crew members who need to commute to and from foreign places to perform their duties, as well as workers on goods vessels and passenger ships are exempt from compulsory quarantine arrangements. Saliva tests are not compulsory either.