Coronavirus: Hong Kong starts allowing local aircrew to skip hotel quarantine overseas
- Aircrew on layovers no longer have to be confined to hotel rooms, but told to avoid mask-off activities, crowded places
- Those returning from any location aside from mainland China must also undergo three days of medical surveillance
Hong Kong on Tuesday started allowing local aircrew to skip hotel quarantine overseas, but the latest easing of coronavirus curbs came with strict layover conditions and a warning that airlines must ensure compliance.
Aircrew on layovers would no longer have to be confined to their hotel rooms, but “must avoid mask-off activities save for eating and drinking and refrain from mass gatherings and going to crowded places such as bars”, the government said in a statement.
“For aircrew who fail to comply with the requirements, eligibility for designated quarantine arrangements will be revoked.”
The revisions apply to all locally based aircrew performing flight duties to and from overseas places or Taiwan, and authorities requested that airlines impose penalties on any staff member who flouted the rules.
The changes were welcomed by the city’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, which said it would continue to add back more flights “as quickly as is feasible”.
“These adjustments are positive developments for our pilots and cabin crew, who have endured stringent Covid-19-related operating constraints over the past 2½ years,” a spokesman said.