Procedures implemented by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to transport aircrew to government-run quarantine facilities exposed them to cross-infection risks and failed to protect their privacy, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union and National Association of Firefighters’ Rights said yesterday.
The center placed hundreds of people under quarantine following breakthrough COVID-19 infections involving three EVA Airways pilots. Individuals affected include family members, those who were in close contact with the pilots, and aircrew dispatched on flights to Chicago within the past two weeks. They were all asked to take disease prevention buses to quarantine facilities arranged by the government.
As of yesterday, only a teenage son of one of the infected pilots had tested positive.
Polymerase chain reaction tests administered by health authorities in Taipei, Taoyuan and Taichung have yet to identify any positive cases among the son’s classmates or those placed in quarantine.
Although all passengers aboard were required to wear N95 masks, the air-conditioning system was turned off throughout the trip to the quarantine facilities, some flight attendants said, adding that passenger loads from other buses merged with them during the journey.
These practices increased risks for cross-infections and cluster outbreaks, they said.
Passengers on the bus were provided with diapers, as they were not allowed to use restrooms at freeway service areas, although there was no private area on the bus for them to put them on, they said.
Quarantine facilities were also not thoroughly cleaned when they checked in, they said.
“In June, we had made some suggestions to improve the way passengers were treated on disease prevention buses, but none of them was accepted by the CECC,” the groups said, adding that the center should remember that “the buses carry people rather than the virus.”
The center should stipulate guidelines governing the management of disease prevention bus fleets for local health officials to follow, the groups said.
Bus passengers with latent COVID-19 symptoms on a poorly ventilated bus could increase the risk of others contracting the virus, the groups said, adding that bus drivers, paramedics and passengers could sustain heat injuries because of inadequate ventilation as well.
Rather than N95 masks, passengers should be required to wear surgical masks, the groups said.
“Passengers would not be more protected if they fail to wear N95 masks accurately or have trouble breathing when they put them on,” the groups said. “They would be more protected and feel more at ease if they wear surgical masks properly and are banned from speaking with one another or on the phone during the trip.”
The CECC should consider the physical needs of quarantined people when they are transported to quarantine facilities in central and southern Taiwan, as bus trips could last more than two hours, the groups said.
“Passengers should not be given diapers only when they are about to board the bus, and the bus should also have a restroom for them to change. This would honor their right to privacy and make them feel less humiliated,” they added.
All passengers should have their blood oxygen levels and temperatures measured before embarking on bus trips to quarantine facilities, the groups said, adding that ambulances should stand by in case of emergencies.
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