Aircrew Exemption An 'extremely Big Loophole': Expert

Respiratory medicine expert Leung Chi-chiu said on Thursday that it’s an “extremely big loophole” to exempt some flight crew members from quarantine.

He said it doesn’t make sense for the Hong Kong government to expect aircrew to observe social-distancing rules when they are overseas, but allow them to immediately enter the community once they’re back.

Leung was speaking a day after two cargo pilots who tested negative for Covid-19 at the airport upon returning from Germany were later found to be infected.

“[The government] relies on the high risk places to do the job. It asks airlines to separate the crew from the community there, by point-to-point travel or isolation hotels. But here it allows them to walk right into the community without quarantine," Leung told an RTHK programme.

“Obviously high risk places would not have proper designated quarantine hotels for the aircrew, and their infection control at the airport may not be as stringent as Hong Kong,” he said, noting one of the infected pilots said many ground crew staff he came into contact with abroad did not wear masks.

“You hope other places would separate the crew from the community, but you don’t yourself. It doesn't make sense,” Leung said.

Meanwhile, Leung also expressed reservations about introducing vaccine passports to the city.

People without one could be banned from public places, work or school, but Leung said most unvaccinated people are elderly who are worried about side-effects of the jabs.

He said forcing them to get inoculated before they are convinced the vaccines are safe may lead to other health problems.