Hong Kong police charge two former aircrew over Covid rules
Image credit: Reuters
Two former flight attendants have been arrested and accused of violating the city’s coronavirus limitations, according to Hong Kong police.
When they should have been in home isolation, the two conducted useless activities, according to police.
They were later found to be carriers of the fast-spreading Omicron variety.
They worked for an unnamed airline, but it comes after Cathay Pacific sacked two aircrew members who were accused of breaking COVID restrictions.
According to authorities, the two arrested flight attendants landed in Hong Kong from the United States on December 24 and 25.
They were granted bail and will have their case tried on February 9th.
If found guilty, they may face up to six months in prison and a fine of HK $5,000 (£470; $642).
Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s largest airline, has been accused of spreading Omicron over the city for the first time.
Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, singled out the airline last week and demanded investigations into charges that its employees violated pandemic standards.
Cathay Pacific chairman Patrick Healy allegedly told employees that the noncompliance of a “small minority” must not “overshadow the outstanding discipline and professionalism” of the majority of the airline’s workers.
To comply with mainland China’s zero COVID policy, Hong Kong has updated its quarantine procedures for flying crew on a regularly.
Following the discovery of Omicron last year, the city drastically tightened its rules, forcing Cathay to postpone the majority of its planned passenger and freight flights in January.
Even before the new rules were enacted, the airline was having trouble filling many of its flights, as several routes relied on pilots volunteering to fly rosters that required them to stay in hotel rooms for up to five weeks at a period……..