Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
On Day 0; I operated Flight ABC from ZZZZ - ZZZ. I was the Captain assisted by [the] First Officer and the IRO (International Relief Officer). We had additional deadheading flight crew.  The flight was uneventful and we landed in ZZZ.  On Day 4 I received a call from the company informing me that my crew and I had been exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.  I inquired as to who the infected person was; but she would not give me any names and stated they could not discuss any details with me. I immediately called my first officers and they both reported that they had received the same notification call at approximately the same time.  Next I called the jumpseaters.  My first call was to Jumpseater A who informed me that he was pulled from his flight on Day 1 by the company.  He specifically stated that he was told he was being removed from his flight on Day 2; 'due to him being possibly exposed to a person who has been tested for COVID-19.'  His notification occurred before our departure back to ZZZZ so we are curious why we were not shown the same abundance of caution and removed from our flight assignment since we were in close contact with affected jumpseater. Instead we were only notified after we returned to ZZZ on Day 4 after having potentially exposed more jumpseaters and the good people of the neighborhood who we intermixed with during the ZZZZ layover.  The FO in question did test positive for the virus and I am now showing secondary symptoms which I pray is not related to a COVID infection.  In closing;  I personally believe that if there was a possibility that a crew member was potentially COVID-19 positive; we should have been removed as operating crew and tested!
Air carrier Captain reported being notified by the company of a possible exposure to COVID-19 through another crew member. The Captain expressed concern that deadheading crew was notified before the on-duty crew and suggested that they should have been removed from duty sooner.