Virus sickens Sichuan Airlines pilot who flew into Chengdu

A Sichuan Airlines pilot has tested positive for the new coronavirus disease and been diagnosed as a confirmed, imported patient, state media said.

The 26-year-old pilot, surnamed Gao, was confirmed as infected on Monday night, the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission announced on Tuesday. The pilot was on a cargo flight from Los Angeles to Chengdu, Sichuan, on November 29 and tested negative during quarantine in neighboring Renshou county of Meishan city. Gao flew a round-trip cargo flight from Chengdu to Jinan, Shandong province, on December 9 and continued his quarantine in Renshou until Saturday, China Daily reported.

On Saturday, Gao drove to attend a 300-person wedding banquet in Jiangyou, Sichuan, and later returned to his home in Chengdu. All those at the banquet have been ordered to get tests.

He sought medical attention at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University on Monday, where he tested positive for coronavirus via nucleic acid testing and was then diagnosed as a confirmed case on Monday night.

The hotel that hosted the banquet has been shut down and its staff members have been quarantined.

Nucleic acid tests were done on Gao's close contacts in Jiangyou, Chengdu and Meishan. By 7:00 pm on Tuesday, more than 7,000 nucleic acid samples had been collected, including those from 104 close contacts, with all so far coming back negative.

According to a Civil Aviation Administration of China guideline, cargo flight crew who complete a thorough personal protection routine and don't stay overnight abroad can be spared from quarantine on return and carry on their duties.

Those who stay overnight have to undergo "closed management" during their time overseas and take a nucleic acid test upon their return. If they test negative they can be spared quarantine and are allowed to work, but they need to monitor their health status and report any abnormality in a timely manner.

Chengdu also reported a new confirmed local case on Monday who was an asymptomatic case under quarantine. As of Tuesday, Chengdu has had 12 locally confirmed patients and one asymptomatic patients, according to the provincial health commission.