Air Crew Quarantine
 

I have to start with the fact it is a Danny article but sometimes you just have to sigh. Remember this is a rumour network etc etc.

If/When this happens it will be the true end. Who would be willing to put their hand up to sit around the Hedland for the rest of their lives?

Any international airlines would stop asap unless they can do a shuttle from BKK/NRT.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118657/hong-kong-fourth-wave-airline-sector-braces

What do you mean by "rest of their lives"?

From your cockpit, to the bus, to the hotel room, and then the reverse, forever.
They better remove your shoelaces..

Ask any unemployed pilot they’d do it

Oasis

Don't worry, RMs don't have laces :ok:

One trip a month. Rest of time spent in a room are extra days days off.
Just subtract form allotted leave.
How long does one expect to be kept on staff to be paid for no work?

Walkingthedog

You are correct, most would if it was their home country. Not many would pack up lives overseas to move to another country to be locked up again. Just ask anyone departing the ME3 by choice. If it was to happen where does that leave the current pilot base? Unless CX was to create a new entity to operate flights they are stuck.

Corona to answer your question how long would it take for you to go insane when you don't see your family and all you do is operate to a hotel and back? Other countries have the same policy but with home quarantine. Release at 14 days or when you operate next and once you operate you go back to the same 14 day routine. It would drive any sane man insane, let alone those living here.

LUDACRIS when aircrew followed safety guidelines to be quarantined forever while medical staff coming face to face contact with covid patients are free to roam after shift!!!!!!!? :*

Here is the full article in the South Commie Morning Post, for those who doesn’t have the luxury of a subscription exclusive | Hong Kong fourth wave: airline sector braces for impact as city mulls 14-day quarantine for aircrew amid coronavirus pandemic

• The move, which one source worries could ‘kill’ the industry, would end a long-standing exemption enjoyed by airlines
• Cathay Pacific said to be pushing back hard on proposal, though it is unclear to what effect

Hong Kong is mulling plans to order all arriving aircrews to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks in response to a recent coronavirus outbreak, a move that would end a long-standing exemption and present the embattled aviation industry with a fresh crisis.According to three sources familiar with the plan, the government is considering ordering pilots and cabin crew, including local staff, to quarantine in a hotel if they stay in Hong Kong for more than two hours.

Another source said the plan could “kill” the airline industry if it proceeds, while a separate insider said aircrew would also be subject to repeated testing.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default...70_154050.jpeg
Sources fear forcing airline crew members to quarantine will spell the death of the industry.

Cathay Pacific Airways
is understood to be pushing back hard against the proposal, but it is unclear what success it would have.Aircrew are at greater risk of carrying the virus, despite wearing protective equipment, given they are interacting with passengers and flying abroad, yet they have been exempted from quarantine orders that apply to the general public.

All foreign aircrew are currently required to take designated transport to hotels, isolate in their rooms throughout their stay and pass a Covid-19 test before flying in. Local aircrew are tested on arrival in Hong Kong and have to stay in a hotel for 24 hours while waiting for their results.

Also curious what's the current arrangement for pilots working in mainland China. Any idea?

What about quarantining medical staff after every shift since they are the ones face to face contact with covid patients?

If they hadn't let all the based pax crew expire they could have simply used them to keep the show on the road until Hong Kong is through the worst of this wave and the restrictions. But they didn't think and let them all expire 🤦‍♂️ If this goes ahead seems like the only way for goods to get in and out will be with foreign airlines doing turnarounds into the city, massive own goal by the government.

carolknows

Several friends working there in Mainland. All have been vaccinated with China vaccine. Mandatory 14 day quarantine for high risk areas like UK, SA and America. 7 days for anywhere else outside of China unless it’s a 2 hour turn on the airplane then just a test upon arrival and 24 hour quarantine after results for short haul cities like Singapore and KL.

This is more logical, basing on the severity of countries - why can't we do that for incoming pax and aircrew?
Also, would you rather lose your job or get Sinovac? Asking for fun

I cant see an issue about quarantine in the headland. But it could be the panda hotel in Tseun wan. Now that would suck. And before you laugh, that is the go to hotel for Korean airways crews, at least pre pandemic. Those not working could at least help out, but providing moral support to families of those serving quarantine .

Singapore is currently in the process of vaccinating aircrew and will be relaxing testing requirements for those who have had the jab. More frequent testing has been introduced for crew arriving from high risk countries with self isolation for 7 days, but no quarantine yet.

https://www.caas.gov.sg/who-we-are/n...g-of-air-crew/

Covid19
 

If HKG based crew is required to be quarantined after a duty, then they should be free to go out during their layover, subject to local government laws. There is no point of quarantining the crews in both places.

carolknows

Great point.

Not really as medical staff are wearing full PPE.
Also people die if we run short of medical staff .
Nobody wants to be in quarantine but If rather be locked up than have our hardworking medical teams out of the front line.

They may be wearing full PPE but are by definition in daily contact with patients affected by a highly contagious virus. Pilots (especially flying freight) only share a flight deck with other pilots (who follow the same strict protocols and are tested at least once a week as well). No cabin crew, no passengers (what are those again?)

Interaction with people in other countries is minimal as we’re confined to our rooms, the crew transport is supposedly disinfected and we of course wear masks during the airplane-hotel transit. Home, cockpit, hotel room confinement, cockpit, testing on arrival, isolation until test result comes back negative. Rinse and repeat.

Recognising that medical professionals are precious at this time, they are allowed to return home after a shift despite a certain amount of risk to the public, and rightly so; they are critical at this juncture and their mental health must also be taken unto account.

Assuming we are also necessary to move goods, medical gear, reagents and vaccines into and out of Hong Kong then we should be treated similarly. Of course no-one says medical personnel shouldn’t be allowed to go home, but then why can’t we? Objectively the risk is higher for those treating Covid patients.

It looks like the original article has been modified from All Aircrew to Long Haul layover flights only. The risk of any crew member is going to be similar no matter what the length of the flight especially those dealing directly with passenger. Maybe a few companies have had a word with the government about turn around flight potential.