Cathay Pacific to face 'legal action' from the Hong Kong government

The Hong Kong government has said that it will look into whether Cathay Pacific has followed its guidelines and rules and that it will take appropriate legal action when enough evidence is compiled

Cathay Pacific is facing possible legal repercussions over an Omicron variant coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong that began with the airline's employees, the city's leader said on Tuesday. The revelation came as chief executive Carrie Lam announced the suspension of all kindergarten and primary schools until after Chinese New Year in early February.

A recent outbreak traced to Cathay aircrew who breached home quarantine has sparked a dramatic tightening of already strict social distancing controls and travel restrictions, causing renewed anger among residents and businesses. The Hong Kong government has said that it will look into whether Cathay Pacific has followed its guidelines and rules and that it will take appropriate legal action when enough evidence is compiled.

The revelation piles new pressure on Cathay Pacific, which has been decimated by the pandemic and has no domestic market to fall back on in a city that used to be a major Asian transport and logistics hub. Cargo flights, the one area where the airline made some cash, have been slashed recently because new quarantine rules imposed on the crew have left managers struggling to find enough pilots.

While the zero-COVID strategy has made the city relatively free of COVID-19 for months, the government has also failed to persuade enough people to get vaccinated during the zero-COVID-19 controls, especially the elderly, with just 62 percent of the population inoculated despite ample supplies.

That makes Hong Kong the third least vaccinated place in a list of the International Monetary Fund's 39 advanced economies, above only Latvia and Slovakia. Among the over 80s - the demographic most at risk from severe COVID-19 illness - only 23 percent have taken a first vaccine dose.

With such low vaccination rates in the city, Hong Kong is unlikely to deescalate the quarantine and protective measures any time soon, therefore, the pressure on aviation businesses like Cathay Pacific and the population, in general, is unlikely to wane for the foreseeable future.