The aircrew of Cathay Pacific have been told that they should get vaccinated against Covid-19 by 31 August or else they will risk losing their jobs. This is because rostering of staff has become "difficult and complicated" as the airline has to segregate the staff who had been vaccinated and those who have not, the airline said.
Those employees who are still unable to get vaccinated could also be accommodated but in the "short-term", Cathay Pacific said. However the airline said: "We will review the future employment of those who are unable to become vaccinated."
It would "assess whether they can continue to be employed as aircrew", the carrier added.
At least 90 per cent of the pilots and 65 per cent of the cabin crew have either been vaccinated already or have scheduled appointments to receive the vaccines, said the Hong Kong-based airline.
It however said that it was "becoming clear that only fully vaccinated aircrew will be able to return without quarantine from most places".
"Vaccination is a critical component" for the recovery of Cathay Pacific as well as the global airline industry, the airlines said. "After very careful consideration, we have now made the decision that all Hong Kong-based crewmembers must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by 31 August 2021," the company said.
This move by the airline comes at a time when the administrators of Hong Kong are getting ready to relax some of the travel restrictions that were imposed to curb spread of Covid-19 as soon as the end of this month.
According to the proposed new measures, residents of Hong Kong will have to get into quarantine for a period seven days, instead of the current requirement for a two-week quarantine in case they are fully vaccinated, in addition to taking a test at the airport to show that they are Covid-19 negative and have to test positive for Covid-19 antibodies.
It is hoped that this new arrangement could further be extended to Hong Kong residents currently overseas as well as other travellers, said a report published in the South China Morning Post.
The rate of vaccination in Hong Kong is relatively slow as only 27 per cent of the population have been injected by the first dose of a vaccine while only 17.6 per cent of the people have been completely vaccinated. In comparison in the United Kingdom, about 65 per cent of the total population have been delivered the first dose of a vaccine while 47 per cent have been completely vaccinated.
With respect to Covid-19 vaccinations of the cabin crew, different approaches have been taken by different airlines. For example, flights to high risk destinations will be flown and attended to only by the staff members that have been completely vaccinated, United States carrier United Airlines said earlier this week. This will be applicable for flights to countries such as India, Brazil and Chile. On the other hand United Airlines, as well as US rival Delta, have mandated that all new employees joining after June 15 will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
(Source:www.bbc.com)
Those employees who are still unable to get vaccinated could also be accommodated but in the "short-term", Cathay Pacific said. However the airline said: "We will review the future employment of those who are unable to become vaccinated."
It would "assess whether they can continue to be employed as aircrew", the carrier added.
At least 90 per cent of the pilots and 65 per cent of the cabin crew have either been vaccinated already or have scheduled appointments to receive the vaccines, said the Hong Kong-based airline.
It however said that it was "becoming clear that only fully vaccinated aircrew will be able to return without quarantine from most places".
"Vaccination is a critical component" for the recovery of Cathay Pacific as well as the global airline industry, the airlines said. "After very careful consideration, we have now made the decision that all Hong Kong-based crewmembers must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by 31 August 2021," the company said.
This move by the airline comes at a time when the administrators of Hong Kong are getting ready to relax some of the travel restrictions that were imposed to curb spread of Covid-19 as soon as the end of this month.
According to the proposed new measures, residents of Hong Kong will have to get into quarantine for a period seven days, instead of the current requirement for a two-week quarantine in case they are fully vaccinated, in addition to taking a test at the airport to show that they are Covid-19 negative and have to test positive for Covid-19 antibodies.
It is hoped that this new arrangement could further be extended to Hong Kong residents currently overseas as well as other travellers, said a report published in the South China Morning Post.
The rate of vaccination in Hong Kong is relatively slow as only 27 per cent of the population have been injected by the first dose of a vaccine while only 17.6 per cent of the people have been completely vaccinated. In comparison in the United Kingdom, about 65 per cent of the total population have been delivered the first dose of a vaccine while 47 per cent have been completely vaccinated.
With respect to Covid-19 vaccinations of the cabin crew, different approaches have been taken by different airlines. For example, flights to high risk destinations will be flown and attended to only by the staff members that have been completely vaccinated, United States carrier United Airlines said earlier this week. This will be applicable for flights to countries such as India, Brazil and Chile. On the other hand United Airlines, as well as US rival Delta, have mandated that all new employees joining after June 15 will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
(Source:www.bbc.com)
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