Passengers on board a TUI flight from the Greek island of Zakynthos to Cardiff in Wales, were advised to self-isolate after at least seven people tested positive for Covid-19.
The new coronavirus incidents at 16 on Monday come after at least 11 out of 30 teenagers from the UK who vacationed on the same island contracted coronavirus last week.
The current cases on board TUI flight 6215 from Zakynthos to Cardiff were from three different parties. All 193 passengers traveling on board the August 25 flight have now been considered “close contacts” and as such have been advised by Public Health Wales (PHW) to self-isolate.
“These passengers will be contacted shortly, but meanwhile, they must self-isolate at home as they may become infectious, even without developing symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should book a test without delay,” Giri Shankar, PHW director, told Sky News.
Zakynthos island, Greece
On Friday, Greek health authorities announced extra emergency restrictions for Zakynthos and Lesvos, following a surge in coronavirus cases. The measures will be in place for two weeks through to September 12.
“Our investigations into a number of cases of coronavirus have indicated that a lack of social distancing, in particular by a minority of the 20-30 year age group, has resulted in the spread of the virus to other groups of people,” said Shankar, adding that there have been a “number of small clusters” of Covid-19 cases in Cardiff that are not related to the TUI flight.
According to BBC, TUI said all passengers had complied with Covid-10 safety protocols “for the duration of their flight”, which includes wearing masks.
“The safety and well-being of passengers and crew is our highest priority and we operate in line with EASA guidelines,” said a TUI spokesperson.
TUI said earlier today that it had launched a ‘full investigation‘ into claims that mask-wearing protocols were not enforced on board the flight.
Last week, following a revision of its safe countries list, the UK Foreign Office (FCO) updated its travel advice keeping Greece on its quarantine-free list of countries to and from which travelers can enter the country without having to self-isolate for 14 days.
