HONG KONG - People infected with coronavirus were allowed to board aircraft and travel to Hong Kong in recent days, highlighting the challenge of controlling the pandemic at the same time governments seek the safest ways to reopen borders.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents almost 300 airlines, in May recommended steps to protect passengers and crew from infection, such as temperature checks at the airport and wearing face masks on the plane. IATA last week outlined recommendations for Covid-19 testing, saying it ideally would be done before arriving at the airport and within 24 hours of travel. If testing is required during the travel process, it should be done at departure, and governments would need to mutually recognise test results, IATA said.
A spokesman for the Philippine Immigration Bureau said it wasn't the agency's job to check health clearances.The passenger on Cathay Dragon Flight 734 was a 39-year-old woman returning from India via Malaysia, Hong Kong's health department said on Tuesday. After landing, she declared she had tested positive and had been treated for the virus in India last month.