Govt To Slash Quarantine For Local Passenger Aircrew

The government is easing Covid-19 requirements for aircrew flying into Hong Kong from Sunday, saying it's in line with a plan to relax measures for inbound travellers on the same day.

In a statement late on Friday, the government said easing quarantine rules for incoming crew members will relieve local airlines' staffing constraints and boost their flight capacity.

From May 1, the mandatory quarantine period for returning locally-based passenger flight crews will be slashed from the current seven days to three.

Upon leaving their designated hotels, they then must undergo medical surveillance for another 11 days.

Cargo aircrew will be exempt from quarantine, even though they are required to get tested for Covid upon arrival before having to complete a two-week medical surveillance.

During that period, all crew members must repeatedly get tested for the coronavirus, and log their activities for the first week.

"The government has requested airlines to introduce robust mechanisms to ensure that their air crew members fully comply with the relevant requirements during the medical surveillance period. Airlines will be held responsible to oversee the activity logs of their air crew and conduct regular checks on such logs,” the statement wrote.

“In the event that airlines are found not to be exercising due diligence over their air crew's compliance, the designation status of their air crew will be revoked."

But foreign air crew members are not subject to the changes, meaning they are still required to self-isolate at an airport hotel between the time they arrive and leave Hong Kong.

They are also not allowed to enter the local community during their stay.