Coronavirus: Hong Kong to tighten rules for Cathay Pacific aircrew exempted from quarantine over mutant strain fears

Name: Travel may resume slowly ‘in 3-6 months’ with pandemic limits, says Hong Kong tourism chief
Uploaded: 2021-03-19T06:50:41.000Z
Duration: 9 min 33 s
Description: Travel may resume slowly ‘in 3-6 months’ with pandemic limits, says Hong Kong tourism chief

Officials are withdrawing permission for Cathay Pacific staff to wait for test results in their hotels, they have to stay within airport instead

Change takes effect late on Friday and is part of effort to stop mutant Covid-19 strains from getting into Hong Kong

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Cathay Pacific aircrew face stricter rules surrounding the quarantine exemptions they are entitled to. Photo: Felix Wong

Danny Lee

Published: 2:50pm, 19 Mar 2021Updated: 9:12pm, 19 Mar 2021

A potential loophole that could allow a mutant Covid-19 strain to penetrate Hong Kong’s borders will be plugged from midnight on Friday, with the government tightening the “closed-loop” arrangements for quarantine-exempted local aircrew.

The government is removing the provision permitting some individuals to wait for their coronavirus test results at airport hotels, a decision mainly affecting Cathay Pacific pilots, cabin crew, and foreign airlines.

Starting this weekend, all inbound travellers, including those with exemptions, will have to stay in the confines of Hong Kong International Airport, and will only be allowed to proceed to their hotel once they test negative.

Government health experts on Thursday night said the city needed to further crack down on the risk of transmission involving mutant variants to ensure there would be no local spread into the community.

Industry sources warned of a possible impact on foreign airlines, because requiring flight crews to stay at the airport would deny them rest and could disrupt flight schedules due to short layover times in Hong Kong.

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Travel may resume slowly ‘in 3-6 months’ with pandemic limits, says Hong Kong tourism chief

Hundreds of aircrew working for Cathay are exempt from quarantine, working under a “closed-loop” arrangement by flying for three weeks and living in airport hotels throughout.