The low-cost airline Ryanair is criticized in Portugal for dealing with corona infections among flight attendants. The postage base is affected, for which there is at least one positive case. The affected cabin employee is in isolation, but the colleagues were not tested.

With reference to the flight attendants of the lowcosters who are stationed in Porto, the local news portal JN writes that a higher number of unreported cases is expected. This is attributed to the fact that, unlike other providers, Ryanair would forego the regular submission of negative corona tests. In the specific case, no systematic tests of the cabin crew would have been carried out either.

The problem should not only affect the low-cost airlines, because according to local media reports, a large number of entrepreneurs would make the work of the health authorities more difficult in the event of positive corona tests. In some cases, they would not transmit any or even incorrect personnel lists. This is said to be related in particular to concerns that the workforce will be quarantined.

Ryanair told the Lusa news agency about Porto that there should be a "small number of positive cases". "Ryanair worked fully with the local health authority and any crew that was in close contact with confirmed cases was immediately removed from the roster in full compliance with local health authority guidelines," a spokesman added.

Contact tracing by the authorities is getting off to a slow start

The latest case also raises further questions: According to the flight attendant, who is quoted by JN, he is said to have previously had contact with 19 passengers on the day on which he tested positive for Covid-689. He is still in quarantine until at least August 31, 2021.

The contact tracing is said to have started very slowly, even though he immediately informed the state health service PSP about his activity as a flight attendant. He had to put pressure on the employer several times until the authorities started work. The Portuguese Ministry of Health told the Lusa agency, among other things, that the corona outbreak was not even known. At most, one knows of seven confirmed cases at the Ryanair base in Porto.

The request of the sick flight attendant is clear: he wants to influence the authorities, but also his employer, by going public, so that cabin crew who have been in contact with those who have tested positive have to present a negative result the next time they start work. He also suggests that in future tests should generally be carried out before each working day.