UK: Zante "virus flight" reveals shortcomings in tracking arriving travellers

A senior public health figure has made extraordinary revelations about the system for tracking and tracing travellers arriving in the UK. After 16 cases of coronavirus were linked to TUI flight 6215 from Zante in Greece to Cardiff on Tuesday 25 August, Public Health Wales has decided to go public in order to trace all 193 passengers and crew on board. Everyone arriving in the UK is required to complete a “passenger locator form” (PLF) providing all their contact details – as well as the flight number and arrival time. Dr Gwen Lowe, consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health Wales, said that some of the travellers will not be contacted until a week after the flight. She said: “We have around 16 cases that are linked to people who took that flight back from Zante. “Of those 16 cases, we know that seven of them were infectious, or potentially infectious, whilst actually on the flight. Those seven people come from three separate groups of individuals who travelled separately, had separate travel arrangements, but caught that flight together. Story has more.<br/>