BA crew put in isolation over monkeypox

AN ENTIRE British Airways crew has been put into isolation in Singapore after one of them caught monkeypox.

The two pilots and nine stewards and stewardesses have all been put in quarantine for 21 days, it is understood.

Health officials detected the infection in one steward when staff were tested after landing on Sunday evening.

A BA insider said: ‘One of them had it, so they impounded the whole crew. Now they have got to spend 21 days in quarantine. Everyone has been told not to talk about it – but it’s all everyone is talking about.’

The flight is on British Airways’ flagship London to Sydney route, which goes via Singapore. The crew are believed to have completed the outward journey and had a 24-hour stopover in the Australian city.

The positive test reportedly came when they were on their way back to the UK.

A BA spokesman said: ‘We’re working closely with the Singapore Health Authorities and have offered assistance with any information they require.’

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency advised that thousands of men at high risk of getting monkeypox should be offered a vaccine. Although anyone can contract the virus, data shows higher levels of transmission within the sexual networks of gay and bisexual men.

RULES forcing airlines to fly a certain number of planes or risk losing valuable landing slots will be scrapped to avoid a summer of travel chaos, ministers said last night. New regulations were laid before Parliament yesterday to help carriers avoid making last-minute cancellations. They will allow a one-off ‘amnesty’ on landing slots, meaning airlines can pull flights from their schedules without the risk of losing them long-term.