Taiwan will impose mandatory quarantine of all pilots at China Airlines due to the cluster of cases infecting multiple employees.
Pilots will only be allowed out of a 14-day quarantine after they have tested negative, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said.
There have been 35 cases so far of pilots, their families and hotel workers at a property used by CAL flight crew.
The airline and hotel were fined last week for lax Covid management of the premises.
"This will have a big impact on China Airlines, on its passenger and freighter flights, and for the crew, too. But for the safety of the whole community we cannot but make this decision," Chen said.
It will lead to a reduction in cargo flights and possibly passenger operations, the airline said.
Before the outbreak Taiwan had coped extremely well containing the pandemic with very few local infections.
