Despite some of the world’s strictest containment measures, the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus has spread in Hong Kong, which has reported its first cases outside its strict quarantine system.
In an interview with reporters on Friday, the secretary of health said that one of the four aircrew members who had tested positive had breached Hong Kong quarantine rules by going to a restaurant, where he passed the virus on to his father and a customer sitting at another table.
“Omicron is raging around the world … and it has now found its way into the community,” Chan said.
According to Health Official Chuang Shuk-Kwan, a different airline employee, who tested positive for Omicron, but was previously thought to have stayed home, had visited a bar in an area crowded with nightlife shortly after their latest flight.
Hong Kong, considered a global financial hub, has been COVID-19 free for extended periods since the pandemic began due to its restrictive health measures. The last case of COVID-19 tracked outside of its quarantine facilities and hotels was detected in October. Prior cases of Omicron infections were discovered during the quarantine period of people returning to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has made great efforts to isolate itself from the world, hoping, in turn, to open up its border with mainland China to a few business travelers.
The regional head of the International Air Transport Association, Philip Goh, said in an interview that the recent tightening of borders across Asia was only a “temporary speed bump” on the road to recovery, adding that more information about the Omicron virus will lead to the region being reopened to travel.
This week, Hong Kong authorities tightened quarantine rules for aircrew, increasing the three-day isolation period to one week in a hotel room.
Flight crews were permitted to quarantine at home, instead of having to stay in hotels for up to 21 days at their own expense when returning to the city.
Despite prolonged periods of isolation, the pilots expressed concern about their mental wellbeing even before the restrictions were tightened.
Hong Kong’s national carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said on Thursday it has been forced to cancel a significant number of passenger and cargo flights due to the new measures and staff shortage.
On Thursday, the airline announced that long-haul flights to Europe, across the Pacific, Riyadh, and Dubai will be suspended through January 6.
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