Taiwanese airline EVA Air has fired a pilot behind the country’s first domestic case of COVID-19 in 253 days. The pilot, a New Zealand man, was fired for failing to disclose full details of his recent activities after it was discovered that he had COVID-19 and had infected others.
The pilot had followed protocol by going into home quarantine for three days after a recent trip to the US. Current rules only mandate that pilots quarantine for three days after returning to Taiwan from overseas. He then traveled around Taoyuan and Taipei between December 7 and 12, visiting several department stores and restaurants and spending time with a female Taiwanese friend.
When the pilot later tested positive for COVID-19, he told authorities that he could not recall where he had been on those days. He also neglected to say that he had been in contact with a woman, something uncovered during a police investigation. The Taiwanese woman has since tested positive for COVID-19, ending a months-long streak during which Taiwan did not report any new domestic COVID-19 cases.
The pilot has already been fined NT$300,000 (US$10,649) for failure to disclose all details as authorities attempted to trace potential contacts.
The pilot is also known to have infected two other people, both fellow pilots who were with him on a December 12 flight to the US. He says that he wore a mask during that flight. However, the two other pilots with him at the time both say that he did not wear a mask, despite being asked to put one on and despite having developed a cough.