New Zealand Covid-19 Patient Who Took 3 Air New Zealand Flights Also Flew With SIA
On Thursday (4 Mar), Air New Zealand (Air NZ) reported a confirmed Covid-19 case was on board 3 of their flights, including one from Singapore to Auckland. The patient was on flight NZ283, which is a codeshare service with Singapore Airlines (SIA).
In light of this, SIA pilots and crew aboard the flight were given a leave of absence (LOA), reported The Straits Times.
For illustration purposes
Source
SIA helping to identify passengers and crew on affected flight
For the uninitiated, a codeshare service is essentially a flight marketed by one airline carrier and operated by another, explains Singsaver.
Thus, although the flight code in question belongs to Air NZ, the service was operated by SIA.
According to Air NZ, the Covid-19 patient boarded the flight on 25 Feb.
An SIA spokesman shared that they have been informed of the passenger,
We are assisting the relevant authorities to identify the passengers and crew who were on board the flight.
Apart from serving the leave of absence, SIA has also told the affected crew members to closely monitor their health.
Additionally, Air NZ crew who were on the affected flights were also told to self-isolate for 2 weeks, reported RNZ.
Details on those who had contact not known
Currently, the details of how many passengers had come in close contact with the Covid-19 patient are not available.
This includes information on whether any Singaporeans or Singapore residents came into contact.
However, Air NZ said they are working with New Zealand authorities to trace those who were on the 3 affected flights.
A spokesman from Singapore’s Ministry of Health added that they are working closely their New Zealand counterparts. Additionally, both airlines will conduct contact tracing for the crew and passengers who may have been in contact with the Covid-19 patient.
Hope none of the crew members and passengers are infected
We are heartened by the efforts both airlines and the authorities are taking to curb the potential spread of the virus.
Let’s hope none of the crew members and passengers were infected with the new coronavirus.
Featured image adapted from Singapore Airlines and is for illustration purposes only.Â
