"Air NZ silent about Covid-19 cases as staff fears grow over quarantine exemption", 21 April 2020

Air New Zealand is keeping secret the number of its staff infected with Covid-19 amid allegations it is not doing enough to keep its workers safe.

The airline's crews who fly internationally continue to be exempt from the strict 14-day quarantine rules....

...[T]he airline confirmed crew members had been forced to self-isolate after some staff allegedly disregarded physical distancing rules during a layover in Vancouver.

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For more than a week, Checkpoint has repeatedly asked Air New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield for the number of Air NZ staff who have tested positive for Covid-19. Nobody has been able to provide the information, and Air New Zealand has declined requests for an interview on Checkpoint.

In a statement, an Air NZ spokesperson said the company had been following guidance set down by the Ministry of Health.

"This is expert medical advice for all airlines to follow in New Zealand. If there are general concerns or questions about this advice then that is a matter for the Ministry of Health as they have established these standards.

"Staff who have concerns or questions around this guidance can raise this with the airline in a variety of ways. We have our team of in-house aviation medicine doctors who have been providing detailed advice to staff on reducing the risk of spreading infection and on the MoH guidance. The use of PPE forms part of the MoH guidance."

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