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NZ pilot suspected to have started Taiwan Covid-19 cluster fired for not following protocols

December 24, 2020
First Officer of a modern commercial airplane studying approach charts for destination

A New Zealand pilot suspected to have started a Covid-19 cluster in Taiwan has been fired for not following Covid-19 protocols, including not reporting all his contacts and movements, according to a report.

The 60-year-old cargo plane pilot, who lives in Taiwan and worked for airline EVA Air, contracted Covid-19 following a flight to the US in early December before he "travelled around northern Taiwan while infectious".

He infected a woman in her 30s in Taiwan, ending the island nation's eight-month run of no locally transmitted cases.

The man was fired by EVA Airways on a recommendation from the airline’s disciplinary committee.

It found that the man’s transgressions included not accurately recording or reporting all his contacts and movements, and failing to wear a facemask in the cockpit, contravening Taiwanese communicable disease transmission law, according to Reuters.

“EVA Air has always abided by the government’s epidemic prevention policies, and most crew members also followed the epidemic prevention regulations,” it said.

Yesterday, he was fined NZ$15,135 after "not being truthful about his recent contact and travel history", Taiwan News reports.

According to local media reports, Taiwan’s health department has since identified 89 close contacts to the pilot and has begun testing them for Covid-19.

The recent cluster marks the first case of community transmission in Taiwan, which has been widely praised for having one of the world’s best Covid-19 responses, since April.

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