(Reuters) – The union representing FedEx Corp pilots on Tuesday called on the U.S. package delivery company to suspend its operations in Hong Kong after some of its members were subject to “extremely difficult conditions” in government-mandated quarantine aimed at tamping down the spread of the coronavirus.
The Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) said three FedEx pilots infected with the coronavirus were forced into mandated hospital facilities for up to 10 days in Hong Kong. Those pilots were asymptomatic.
Several other pilots who tested negative, but had been in contact with individuals who tested positive, were put in government camps “under extremely difficult conditions,” the world’s largest pilots’ union said.
“Not only do these situations pose unacceptable risks to our pilots’ safety and wellbeing, but they also create added stress and distraction for flight operations,” said Dave Chase, chairman, FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council.
FedEx in a statement said the company was fully engaged with government authorities to support its crew members in situations that required medical treatment or self-isolation in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong reported 106 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 98 that were locally transmitted.
The global financial hub, which recently tightened social distancing measures, also braced for the implementation of strict new measures that will ban restaurant dining and restrict gatherings to two people.
(Reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
