Two former crew members of the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific were detained on Thursday November 17 for violating health restriction measures in Hong Kong and spreading the Omicron variant there almost a year ago.
Like mainland China, Hong Kong maintained a strict “zero covid” policy until September to contain the spread of the virus.
But the Omicron variant, which appeared in January, more transmissible than the others, killed thousands of people in Hong Kong, which ended up with the highest death rate per capita in Asia.
Two fired men
Some of the first Omicron cases have been traced to two Cathay Pacific stewards, Wong Yoon-loong, 46, and Nilsson Lau, 45, who were found guilty on Thursday of spreading the virus, during a stopover in Hong Kong over Christmas 2021. By their profession, the two men, who have since been fired from the company, benefited from a relaxation of the quarantine rules and were not required to remain confined to the hotel like the rest of the travelers arriving in Hong Kong.
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The defendants "
abused the rights and privileges granted by the government
" and caused the contamination of other people, magistrate Edward Wong castigated Thursday, calling the case "
serious
".
Upon their arrival in Hong Kong, the two work colleagues met, shared meals at the restaurant with friends and went shopping.
These activities were not “
essential activities
” allowing them to leave their homes during this period of medical supervision, the magistrate further accused.
A government epidemiologist said Edward Wong may have infected Nilsson Lau, who then transmitted the virus to customers of a Chinese restaurant in a shopping mall.
For the defense, the two men did not cause the spread of Omicron in Hong Kong and did not violate the restrictions intentionally.
Held in custody
They each face six months in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (620 euros).
They were kept in detention on Thursday pending their sentencing, which will be handed down on December 1.
When the case came to light, Cathay Pacific CEO Patrick Healy said a "
tiny minority
" of violators should not overshadow the airline's contributions to Hong Kong.
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Cathay crews spent a total of 73,000 nights in quarantine in 2021, which is "
unprecedented
", he said at the time.
On Monday, Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific said it did not expect to regain its pre-Covid-19 passenger capacity before the end of 2024.
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