Hong Kong to tighten rules for Cathay Pacific aircrew exempted from quarantine over mutant strain fears

A potential loophole that could allow a mutant Covid-19 strain to penetrate Hong Kong’s borders will be plugged from midnight on Friday, with the government tightening the “closed-loop” arrangements for quarantine-exempted local aircrew. The government is removing the provision permitting some individuals to wait for their coronavirus test results at airport hotels, a decision mainly affecting Cathay Pacific pilots, cabin crew, and foreign airlines. Starting this weekend, all inbound travellers, including those with exemptions, will have to stay in the confines of Hong Kong International Airport, and will only be allowed to proceed to their hotel once they test negative. Government health experts on Thursday night said the city needed to further crack down on the risk of transmission involving mutant variants to ensure there would be no local spread into the community. Industry sources warned of a possible impact on foreign airlines, because requiring flight crews to stay at the airport would deny them rest and could disrupt flight schedules due to short layover times in Hong Kong.<br/>