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Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific cargo pilot becomes first known carrier of Omicron variant in Hong Kong community
- The 36-year-old, exempt from typical quarantine restrictions, was allowed to leave his home and travel within the city for two days before testing positive
- Three other Omicron cases were among the five Covid-19 infections confirmed on Saturday, taking the total number identified with the variant so far to 14
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A quarantine-exempt Cathay Pacific cargo pilot has been confirmed as the first carrier of the coronavirus’ more transmissible Omicron variant to enter the Hong Kong community.
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The confirmation brings the total number of Omicron infections recorded in the city to 14 – all imported – including two from Britain and one from Nigeria logged on Saturday. None of the pilot’s close contacts have tested positive so far.
Hong Kong also confirmed two Covid-19 cases that did not involve the new variant – arrivals from Canada and Nepal – taking the city’s overall tally of infections to 12,518, with 213 confirmed deaths.
Despite the two new Omicron cases from Britain, the government continues to vacillate on whether to elevate the country’s risk-level to the category with the most stringent control measures. The country faced a daily record high of 92,503 new Covid-19 cases on Friday.
Health experts have in recent days suggested tightening quarantine measures for local cargo pilots, who are currently only required to self-isolate at home and allowed to leave for up to two hours a day for Covid-19 testing and other essential activities.
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