Ruminations: Pilot Indiscretion Threatens Taiwanese New Year's Celebrations

“The local infection involves a woman in her 30s."
"Wear your masks well and let's not fumble this now, especially when we're in a period with a mutation that's transmitting fast."
"We need to have stricter controls for pilots."
"We're definitely going in the direction of stricter."
Taiwanese health minister Chen Shih-chung

"EVA Air has always abided by the government's epidemic prevention policies, and most crew members also followed the epidemic prevention regulations."

"However, the behaviour of an individual employee has undermined everyone's efforts at epidemic prevention."
EVA Air statement

The pilot worked for Taiwanese international airline EVA Air. Photo: 123RF

So much for diligent attention to protecting borders and convincing residents to observe social distancing rules, hand-hygiene, and scrupulous surface-cleansing, country-wide COVID testing and contact-tracing leading to an astounding success in controlling the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19that has devastated Europe and North America, earning Taiwan great admiration and respect on the world stage for its vanishingly low infection rate and deaths attributable to COVID.

A country acknowledged for its role-model status leading the world in containment of COVID is now prepared to roll back foreign flights into the country while tightening quarantine requirements for passenger crew members. That state of affairs in response to the appearance of the first locally transmitted coronavirus case since early spring. A 60-year-old New Zealander cargo pilot who works for Taiwanese EVA Air, decided to hide his virus symptoms and get on with work as usual.

Now, not only has he been tested positive for COVID, two work colleagues, also pilots, have also tested positive for COVID, as has a woman who had been in contact with the pilot. That's for starters. Contact tracing is carrying on to ensure that anyone who had been in close proximity to any of the infected individuals is not also carrying the virus. That the unidentified, and now former employer of the airline was coughing during his last flight but wore no mask, gave rise to a public debate.

The nation's pride in its accomplishment in besting COVID-19 has suffered a blow. It can no longer claim success in stifling domestic transmission, as it has done for 253 days. Immediate steps have been taken by Taiwanese government authorities to cut passenger flights from London by half, starting Wednesday, over the fear of the potential of importing the new virus variant recently widespread in Britain. Taiwanese citizens -- all 23 million -- are fuming over lax controls of pilots from abroad.

The public, anticipating public New Year celebrations, is now preparing for new regulations that may impact on that treasured tradition. The pilot, hospitalized for treatment, has been fined the maximum under the law of $10,000, coinciding with his very recent loss of employment for the Taiwanese airliner. What has occurred through a single case of neglect underlines how convenient it is for the coronavirus to muster a foothold even in countries where public health authorities had been diligent in its control.

Taiwan has reported its first local coronavirus case in 253 days. Photo: AP

China, Australia and now Taiwan stand as living examples of what can and will occur if and when that diligence is temporarily lifted, deliberately or by default or accident. All the quarantine regulations, isolation and contact-tracing, along with a public willing to sacrifice to deny the coronavirus an opportunity, collapsed as a result of one casual error in personal judgement. Authorities in Taiwan are now turning their close attention to flight crew members on occasion given more relaxed quarantine requirements.

Arriving pilots go into quarantine for three days while cabin-crew members quarantine for five. Newly instituted regulations with the intention of disrupting the coronavirus's newly-enabled foothold will see the isolation period increased to 14 days. In Australia, agencies imposed strict quarantines for hotels following a dozen Chilean crew members caught partying in a layover in Sydney. Authorities in Taiwan believe the New Zealander pilot normally based in Taiwan, on returning from a trip to the U.S. on December 4, met a friend with whom he went about to a number of different venues.

The $10,000 fine struck against the pilot was for "covering up symptoms, contacts, and places visited while sick". Premier Su Tseng-chang and other Taiwanese officials now urge their citizens to think about remaining at home during New Year's celebrations, while public events remain scheduled. "You can get better angles from television", urged Premier Su in reference to the annual fireworks show at the Taipei 101 skyscraper.