Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has been under fire after its staff broke quarantine rules and are believed to have caused an outbreak of Covid-19. Authorities are now set to introduce stricter rules that Cathay Pacific says could worsen the company's losses.

That's what the Wall Street Journal writes.

Hong Kong political leaders Carrie Lam has said the airline should be held accountable for its role in the outbreak, which led to the bursting of the city's so-called Covid bubble late last year. Her government is investigating whether the airline broke rules by allowing cabin crew to return from duty flights on cargo flights, thereby circumventing quarantine.

Quarantine rules for returning flight crew have also been tightened across all airlines, with the new requirements requiring staff to self-isolate for seven days in hotels, instead of three days at home, adding to the burden on Cathay Pacific, which has seen its monthly passenger numbers fall by around 95 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

Around 70 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to two cabin crew members returning from separate flights since December. Police suspect them of violating COVID-19 regulations.

Cathay Pacific Chairman Patrick Healy has responded to the criticism by saying that the staff who broke the rules have been terminated and that the airline has followed the rules. In a video message to his employees, after Carrie Lam criticized the company, he thanked his staff for the sacrifices they have made to keep the city accessible during the pandemic - together, the company's employees have spent 62,000 nights in quarantine in 2021.

However, Cathay Pacific has not rebounded from the lows seen early in the pandemic like its competitors. Hong Kong's tough restrictions have meant that the company has operated significantly fewer passenger flights and that tourism to the city has almost disappeared. The company was forced into a $5 billion government bailout in June 2020. 

Source: Nyhetsbyrån Direkt