Qantas coronavirus cases ‘come from overseas contact’, says medical officer

Qantas has told staff that virus cases in up to 50 employees would have been contracted overseas, rather than in-flight.

Qantas crew have been assured the risk of coronavirus transmission is very low. Picture: David Caird

Qantas has told staff that coronavirus cases among crew would have been contracted at overseas ports, rather than in-flight.

Up to 50 employees of the airline have tested positive to the virus, including eight pilots and 18 or 19 flight attendants.

Five of those attendants worked on a flight from Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth, carrying passengers of the coronavirus-riddled Ruby Princess cruise ship.

Qantas chief medical officer Ian Hosegood said all evidence pointed to infection occurring in an overseas port rather than in-flight, even when passengers with coronavirus were on-board.

“We’re not exactly sure why (in-flight transmission is not occurring) but it does replicate the evidence that we’ve seen in previous outbreaks like SARS and other respiratory illnesses,” Dr Hosegood said in a webinar with employees.

“We think it is because of the way people are seated on the aeroplane, some of the physical barriers between people, and also potentially the airconditioning and the rapid replacement of air on an aircraft.”

He said if there were any in-flight transmission it was “very low”.

“Where we’ve carried passengers who’ve been confirmed as having COVID-19, we’ve also not seen transmission to other passengers, and that’s been related and reinforced by the Department of Health,” said Dr Hosegood.

“In relation to the cases we’ve seen across the (Qantas) group most of them have come from community transmission overseas.”

Qantas “just like everybody else” was caught out in the US and the UK, where there was not recognition that community spread had started, he said.

“Our people were not restricted in any way in terms of their movement in those locations, even though they followed the rules of social distancing and did the right thing,” Dr Hosegood said.

“Unfortunately some of them were exposed and became infected.”

The airline was now in the process of putting in place additional precautions and measures to try to ensure the safety of crew in overseas ports, in-flight and at their home base.

These were expected to include stricter supervision of crew during layovers in overseas ports, during repatriation services starting on Thursday.

Dr Hosegood said it was important airline crew honoured the exemption from mandatory two-week quarantine the government had given them.

“Obviously our ideal would be to have nobody infected with the virus but that’s not a realistic aim of the community and it’s probably not a realistic aim for us,” he said.

“But we want to make sure we minimise the number of cases to the absolute lowest number possible.”

At the same time, pilots appealed to the government not to change the exemption for airline workers, following the spate of coronavirus cases.

Australian and International Pilots Association president Mark Sedgwick said their members provided an “essential service and must be supported in their efforts to bring Australians home safely and ensure vital trade continues”.

“Keeping current protocols in place ensures we can get on with the vital job of bringing people home,” Mr Sedgwick said.

“Pilots and crew are following all enhanced health protocols, including isolating to hotel rooms while overseas, using dedicated crew transport and regularly using alcohol-based hand sanitiser.”