飛安要聞：清零不切實際 源自疫苗不充分

【縛雞之見】英文請拷到 Google / DeepL 找中文翻譯
The pilots and flight attendants of Taiwanese airliners reveal a miserable fact that their daily life is similar to prisoners – in an endless loop between the quarantine hotels and the airplanes.   They could not voice out for themselves in public.  The tremendous mental stress influences the safety of the flight eventually.
The “staff were afraid to admit to the pressure in case they lost their jobs.  The company is trying to tell us there is a psychiatrist if we want to talk about it.  Of course, nobody wants to talk about it,” according to the news report.
The Taiwanese government is proud of its high performance of Covid-19 infection control, which not only lets the people raise the expectation but also makes the authorities do the rules unreal, or even worse.
Lacking the vaccines, some 60% of vaccines that we have are from donations, which makes the infection control rules unrealistic.  However, the authorities prohibit people from asking: why we do not have enough vaccines and are reluctant to acquire more, like our neighboring countries Korea, Japan.

機師與空服員曾表示，他們的生活處在無止境的隔離—值勤—隔離—值勤中，像生活在監獄中，意即無法出面為自己發聲。台灣人要理解：它會影響飛安的。航空公司也掩蓋此問題。
台灣政府的防疫驕傲，已經讓人民提高防疫期待到難以達成的高門檻，必然的，防疫會建立在印象而非真實數據上，意味著集體報喜不報憂，假使不是蓄意造假。

英媒：機組員成為台灣疫情的代罪羔羊　「就像殺人犯」被鄙棄    ETtoay 20210911

國內近日爆發的長榮機師Delta群聚案，讓機組人員再次遭到民眾謾罵，直指他們就是台灣的防疫破口，而英國《每日電訊報》報導指出，機組人員已經受到台灣政府「清零策略」的間接傷害，被社會大眾鄙棄，機組員就像是殺人犯一樣，成為台灣疫情的代罪羔羊。

根據《每日電訊報》10日報導，台灣的機組人員曾經是人人稱羨的職業，但在疫情爆發之後，其工作特性也讓他們被社會鄙棄。網路上所有霸凌和仇視的言論，也讓他們身心俱疲，就有匿名的台灣機組員表示，這18個月以來的嚴格防疫措施，已經對他們的身心造成嚴重損害，有可能會危及到飛航安全。

德國廉航「日耳曼之翼」（Germanwings）在2015年發生空難，造成機上150人全數罹難，檢察官調查黑盒子後發現，這起墜機事件是副機師魯比茲（Andreas Lubitz）蓄意撞山所致。據了解，魯比茲被查出患有嚴重的憂鬱症和精神疾病，過去5年內就曾向41名醫生求診，在空難發生的前一個月甚至還看過7次醫生。

全球仍籠罩在新冠肺炎疫情的陰霾之中，台灣政府為了防止傳染性極高的Delta病毒傳入，加強了對機組人員的相關防疫規定，機組員在外站不得離開飯店房間，已接種疫苗的機組員在返國後必須隔離5天，再進行9天的自主健康管理，避免進出公眾場合。

幾名台灣機組人員接受《每日電訊報》採訪時要求匿名，避免引起強烈反彈，影響到航空公司或是其他同事。機組員認為，從去年12月以來，台灣爆發的3次疫情，包含上星期的桃園Delta病毒群聚，都讓他們成為代罪羔羊。

這個社會對機組員的歧視越來越嚴重，包含學校要求機組員的孩子不能到校，醫療機構也會拒絕治療，就算曾經對自己的工作感到非常驕傲，但現在卻再也不敢承認，「在台灣當機組員你會感到羞愧」、「我不會說我是機組員，我覺得自己在躲藏，就像個小偷一樣」。

還有一名機組員說，「人們認為機組員是殺人犯，因為我們把病毒帶回來。」另一人則說，整個社會瀰漫著獵巫的氛圍，網路上的仇恨和欺凌不斷加劇，甚至有人希望空服員去死，而且現在不斷變化的規則，讓他們更加無所適從，「哪怕是最為輕微的違規都可能讓我們丟掉飯碗，我們只需要知道出路是什麼，因為我們現在看不到任何希望。」

台灣對所有入境人士實施嚴格的14天隔離措施，目前僅有1.6萬人確診、839人死亡，隨著政府防疫的成功，滿足社會大眾高期望的政治壓力也越來越大，機組人員及其家人已經受到台灣政府「清零策略」的間接傷害。

報導提到，儘管受到新冠肺炎疫情影響，台灣過去一年的出口量仍非常強勁，將2021年的經濟增長預期提高到5.88％，其中大約一半的貨物出口是透過空運。長榮航空和華航兩家主要航空公司的貨運航班，帶來了食品和疫苗等重要物資，對半導體的全球供應鏈也相當重要。

去年12月長榮航空的紐西蘭籍機師打破了台灣253天零本土的紀錄，儘管該次爆發僅有4人染疫，但仍讓社會大眾的怒氣達到最高點，機組人員被描述成享有特權的違規者。一名機師的妻子表示，「他們（機組員）在防止病毒傳播上做得很棒，但不幸的是，人們把一兩次失誤當作整個失敗，而不是把成千上萬次的安全飛行視為成功。」

今年5月爆發的華航諾富特群聚案，讓社會對機組員的怒氣再次被點燃，一名機組員表示，她的孩子在學校會被其他同學和家長要求做額外檢查，「我們不斷受到攻擊，不斷被人指責。」桃園Delta群聚案發生後，有一名機組員在駕駛艙哭了出來，因為他被禁止看望自己剛出生的孩子。

根據德國都柏林三一學院（Trinity College）在6月的調查指出，機組人員在疫情期間所承受心理壓力比普通人還要大上許多。首席研究員卡爾西（Joan Cahill）表示，「航空文化意味著機組人員不可以公開說話，否則就會遭到羞辱、失去執照和收入，也意味著無法像其他人一樣獲得支持。」

交通部民航局向《每日電訊報》表示，當局已經意識到機組人員面臨的精神壓力，將繼續和中央流行疫情指揮中心、相關工會討論該如何改善工作條件、消除民眾誤解，以及重新安排輪班時間，「指揮官已經意識到這件事的嚴重性，正在試圖尋找更好的方式來平衡機組人員的心理健康，和我國的經濟出口。」

 

 

‘People think pilots are murderers because we brought back the virus’: Taiwan’s Covid scapegoats    The Telegraph 20210911

‘Imprisoned’ by quarantine and isolated from their families, flight crews have become social pariahs

Taiwan’s pilots and aircrews were once admired for their glamourous lifestyles, and feted for operating the flights at the heart of the island’s export-heavy economy.   

Now, “imprisoned” by back-to-back quarantine, and isolated from their families, their globe-trotting profession also makes them social pariahs in the eyes of a public that has largely been protected from Covid-19.

Parties, restaurants, gyms and even a trip to the beach with their children are all forbidden for flight crews under some of toughest quarantine rules in the world.

This week, pilots working for Taiwanese airlines warned the toll of 18 months of severe pandemic restrictions had been so damaging to physical and mental health they feared it could compromise flight safety.

“People are trying to not leave each other alone in the cockpit,” one pilot told the Telegraph, describing the exhaustion of being indefinitely deprived of a normal life, while facing rising online hate.   

In an online pilot chat group ahead of a Thursday meeting between union representatives and Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration and Centres for Disease Control, crew members pleaded for safety concerns to be raised.

“Among almost 3,000 pilots some may be depressed and bullied to the point of doing fatal mistakes, if not intentionally? How can I make sure that the colleague next to me won’t be the next Germanwings case,” read one message, referring to the 2015 tragedy when a co-pilot on the German airline deliberately crashed a plane into a mountain.    

The severe coronavirus outbreaks ravaging much of Asia has left Taiwan on edge, prompting the government’s Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) to tightened rules for aircrews to prevent the more contagious Delta variant from breaking through.

The regime begins with layover flights, where long haul airline crew are monitored by their electronic hotel key to ensure they don’t leave the room until the journey home.

On return, fully vaccinated crew now undergo five days quarantine in a hotel or company dorm, followed by nine days of “enhanced self-health management.”

During this period, they must avoid public transport, crowded spaces, group activities and venues that include hospitals, malls, children’s playgrounds, restaurants, places of worship and events such as weddings or concerts, all of which renders regular family life impossible.

The Telegraph spoke to several pilots and their family members, local and foreign, about the impact of indefinite isolation.  All requested anonymity to avoid a backlash, and did not wish to name their airlines, who they did not blame for the crisis.

They had decided to speak out not only due to fears that depression could lead to a “catastrophic” event but to counter the growing vilification of their once-respected profession by the public and local media, despite the personal sacrifices of airline staff.

The pilot community believes it has been scapegoated after three Covid-19 outbreaks since December – including a small Delta variant cluster last week – were linked to flight crews.

Airline employees claim rising discrimination, including incidents of schools asking their children to stay home and healthcare facilities refusing to treat them.  One pilot reported a colleague had suffered a suspected broken foot for months as he could not get admitted to hospital.

Once proud of their jobs, many no longer admit publicly to their profession.

“You feel ashamed of being a pilot here in Taiwan,” said one.  “I’m not going to say I’m a pilot.  I feel like I’m hiding, like a thief,” he said.

“People are thinking the pilots are murderers because we brought back the virus,” said another crew member, describing a “witchhunt” atmosphere, fuelled by online hate and bullying, including comments wishing death on pilots.

Constantly shifting rules have left crew confused and nervous that “the slightest violation can cost our jobs,” said the pilot.  “We just need to know what is the way out because right now we don’t see any hope.”

Taiwan, an island of 24 million, has been globally championed for its robust pandemic response, which has kept cases down to about 16,000 and deaths at 837 through tight border controls that impose 14 day quarantines on all arrivals.

The government’s success has raised the political pressure to meet high public expectations and placate fears of a serious outbreak while the majority of the population remains unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, air crews and their families have increasingly become collateral damage of the nation’s “zero Covid” strategy.

Despite the pandemic, exports have remained strong over the past year, raising economic growth forecasts for 2021 to 5.88 per cent.  About half of shipments are transported by air.

Cargo flights operated by the two main carriers EVA Air and China Airlines bring in vital supplies like food and vaccines, and remain crucial to the global supply chain of semiconductors.   

But the tide of public opinion began to turn against airline crew in December after a Covid-positive New Zealand pilot working for EVA broke the island’s 253-day streak of no local transmissions.  He was later fined £7,900 by the authorities and fired from his job for failing to disclose his contacts and activities.

The breach resulted in a tiny cluster of four people, but the public was still infuriated.  Pilots were also frustrated that they were widely castigated as a group of privileged rule-breakers.

“They have done an incredible job at keeping the virus out but unfortunately people see one or two slipups as failure, rather than see thousands and thousands of flights as a success,” said one pilot’s wife.

Taiwan’s largest outbreak of the pandemic in May and resulting three-month lockdown was initially believed to have been triggered by a cluster at an airport quarantine hotel for China Airlines flight crews.

Chen Shih-chung, the health minister, clarified in August that the cluster had not spread to the community, but not before another wave of public anger had been unleashed on airline staff.   

“The worst part is the constant media persecution, everywhere you read ‘its the pilots, the pilots!’” said another spouse, adding that she was regularly being scrutinised by parents at her child’s school.  “We’re being attacked constantly, pointed at constantly,” she said.

Another blow to staff morale came last week after 55 pilots and flight attendants and their families were quarantined in state facilities after three pilots and one’s teenage son were found to be infected with the Delta variant, resulting in the closure of a high school and 2,855 tests.

Photos leaked to the local media showed bleak rooms with opaque windows, dirty floors and dead insects.  For already demoralised pilots, the order to bring their families was a step too far.

The impact of restrictions on family life was creating desperation, said one pilot who spoke of a colleague who had cried in the cockpit because he was barred from seeing his newborn.

But he said staff were afraid to admit to the pressure in case they lost their jobs.  “The company is trying to tell us there is a psychiatrist if we want to talk about it.  Of course, nobody wants to talk about it,” he said.

Pandemic-related mental health issues are not unique to Taiwanese airlines, nor are the challenges of addressing them.

In June, the Lived Experience and Wellbeing Project at Trinity College, Dublin, which studies the link between aviation worker wellbeing and flight safety, warned that airlines were overlooking mental health in the scramble to get planes in the air again.

In an August 2020 survey of more than 2,000 aviation workers, it found that they had suffered moderate anxiety and depression more than the general population during the pandemic.

“However, the culture in aviation means pilots cannot speak openly - stigma, loss of license, loss of earnings - and avail of the same supports as the rest of the population,” said Dr Joan Cahill, the report’s principal investigator.

“We have established health monitoring processes for aircraft – but not for our people,” she said.

The Telegraph contacted the CAA, CECC and the Taiwanese airlines.

A CAA spokesperson said the body was aware of the mental stress facing pilots and in active talks with the CECC and pilots’ unions on how to improve conditions, snuff out public misconceptions and rearrange working schedules to allow more quality family time.

“The CECC commander is aware of the seriousness of this, and they are trying to find a better way that would be able to balance the mental health of pilots and also the economic export of our country,” she said.

EVA said it was supporting staff in substandard quarantine facilities and “optimising our schedule and method of dispatching flights to relieve some of the physical and mental health stresses our air crews may be experiencing.”

It said it had offered pilots professional counselling sessions and extended leave for mental or physical health reasons.  “We also sent a letter to every member of our air crews, thanking them for their tremendous efforts and sacrifices,” the company said.

China Airlines also thanked its pilots.  “The physical and mental well-being of pilots is important to China Airlines.  A caring team was set up to actively reach out and support pilots put at risk during the line of duty whether they are currently in quarantine or continuing to fly,” it said.

It said it was “remaining vigilant at all times.  As aviation safety is our top priority, we strive to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of every crew member.”