{"id":276495,"date":"2020-11-24T06:41:08","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T11:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=276495"},"modified":"2020-11-24T06:41:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T11:41:08","slug":"worried-about-covid-risk-on-a-flight-heres-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-and-how-airlines-can-step-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/11\/24\/worried-about-covid-risk-on-a-flight-heres-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-and-how-airlines-can-step-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Worried about COVID risk on a flight? Here\u2019s what you can do to protect yourself \u2014 and how airlines can step up"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_276496\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-276496\" style=\"width: 1734px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-276496\" src=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1734\" height=\"1300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up.jpg 1734w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Worried-about-COVID-risk-on-a-flight-Here\u2019s-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-\u2014-and-how-airlines-can-step-up-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1734px) 100vw, 1734px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-276496\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adopting a set of well established infection prevention and control measures will help minimise the risk of contracting COVID during a flight. (Pexels photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Airline travel health advice has so far mostly focused on how to stay hydrated and avoid deep vein thrombosis. What passengers really want, however, is a heightened focus on infection prevention and disease control, free masks, complimentary hand sanitiser, and more space between passengers on the plane.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idhjournal.com.au\/article\/S2468-0451(20)30086-9\/fulltext\">our new study<\/a>, published in the journal Infection, Disease and Health, which drew on survey responses from 205 frequent flyers across the world.<\/p>\n<p>Airline ticket bookings are likely to soar as borders open between New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.<\/p>\n<p>The aviation industry, which has been decimated by COVID-19, must work hard to restore customers\u2019 faith in their commitment to infection control measures.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you need to know if you\u2019re considering taking a plane trip soon \u2014 and what the airlines can do to reduce risk.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nRead more:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/plane-cabins-are-havens-for-germs-heres-how-they-can-clean-up-their-act-134552\">Plane cabins are havens for germs. Here&#8217;s how they can clean up their act<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Plane trips and COVID risk: what you need to know<\/h2>\n<p>Adopting a set of well established infection prevention and control measures will help minimise the risk of contracting COVID during a flight.<\/p>\n<p>We would fly, if we had to \u2014 but we would follow all the same measures we would if we were catching a train or other form of public transport.<\/p>\n<p>Those measures include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>staying home if unwell. Even if you have the mildest respiratory symptoms, such as a slightly sore throat or hint of a fever, you should not go to the airport and you should not catch a plane. Self-isolate and get tested without delay<\/li>\n<li>washing your hands regularly or using alcohol-based hand rub systematically<\/li>\n<li>observing physical distancing<\/li>\n<li>staying seated and avoiding touching your face<\/li>\n<li>where physical distancing isn\u2019t possible, wearing a face mask.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are the same long-held set of recommendations you should be following anyway, whether you are catching the train to work or shopping in a supermarket.<\/p>\n<p>Using these well established infection control measures routinely and systematically will render the risk of contracting COVID during a plane trip low.<\/p>\n<h2>Passengers want more from airlines<\/h2>\n<p>The main finding from our study is that the flying public \u2014 in particular, frequent flyers \u2014 want more from their airlines about how to keep safe from infectious diseases.<\/p>\n<p>We surveyed 205 frequent-flying adults across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on what they thought airlines need to do to restore passengers confidence and sense of security.<\/p>\n<p>We found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>75.6% reported feeling \u201csomewhat\u201d to \u201cextremely\u201d concerned about contracting an infectious disease while flying, particularly respiratory-related infectious diseases<\/li>\n<li>Only 9.8% thought their preferred airline saw their health as an \u201cessential priority\u201d<\/li>\n<li>86.8% wanted airlines to provide complimentary hand sanitiser<\/li>\n<li>86.8% wanted airlines to provide complimentary sanitary wipes<\/li>\n<li>64.4% wanted airlines to provide complimentary masks<\/li>\n<li>90.7% wanted airlines to provide more information about preventing the spread of infections, which would make the majority feel safer to fly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More than half of respondents reported never carrying their own alcohol-based hand sanitiser or sanitary wipes on flights in the past. Female respondents were more likely to carry alcohol-based hand sanitisers or sanitary wipes while flying.<\/p>\n<p>We also asked respondents how often they wore a face mask before COVID, to protect themselves from infectious diseases while travelling by air. The vast majority (83.4%) said they never wore one.<\/p>\n<p>However, the majority (83.4%) reported they would to \u201csome extent\u201d feel safe to fly if all passengers and staff were required to wear face masks while flying.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, our study showed people are really prepared to engage in behaviours to reduce risk \u2014 some of which they expect airlines to support and others they would support themselves.<\/p>\n<h2>COVID-19 spreads around the world on planes<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iata.org\/en\/pressroom\/pr\/2020-09-08-012\/\">According<\/a> to the International Air Transport Association, since 2020 began there have been \u201c44 cases of COVID-19 reported in which transmission is thought to have been associated with a flight journey (inclusive of confirmed, probable and potential cases)\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note COVID-19 is a disease spread globally very quickly, via travellers who are infected.<\/p>\n<p>Like many countries, Australia has imposed mandatory quarantine for international arrivals, which is where the infection in travellers is identified. That shows we \u2014 both passengers and airlines \u2014 must do all we can to implement proper infection prevention control measures around air travel.<\/p>\n<p>Many airlines have introduced measures to reduce COVID-19 risk, such as temperature screening, physical distancing at check-in, and encouraging masks at the airport. That\u2019s good but the research is telling us passengers want more.<\/p>\n<p>As promising results emerge from the many COVID-19 vaccine trials underway around the world, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/news\/health-officials-fear-holidaymakers-will-make-americas-covid-crisis-even-worse-through-thanksgiving-travel\/news-story\/a9ae633de233fdbb88dbb121dbda5508\">said<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We are looking at changing the terms and conditions to say for international travellers that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Vaccination is a really important way to prevent the spread of disease and it\u2019s useful for airlines to signal vaccines are coming and are important to them.<\/p>\n<p>We have some way to go before vaccines are available, and there much we don\u2019t yet know \u2014 such as how long immunity from a vaccine might last or if booster doses might be required. So there are a range of factors to consider if airlines are to mandate vaccination for their passengers.<\/p>\n<p>Joyce has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-05-20\/coronavirus-qantas-alan-joyce-defends-flights-social-distancing\/12265520\">said<\/a> it would be \u201cuneconomical\u201d to leave the middle seat in every row empty, instead pointing out its aircraft air conditioning units feature hospital-grade HEPA filters, which remove 99.9% of all particles, including viruses.<\/p>\n<p>HEPA filters in closed spaces make good sense and are important. But they are not the be all and end all. If I am next to someone on a plane who unknowingly has COVID-19 and they are not wearing a face mask and they sneeze on me, and their droplets get into my eyes, nose or mouth, then I am at risk of contracting COVID-19 despite HEPA filtration in the cabin.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the best protection comes from adopting basic measures systematically. That includes staying home, isolating and getting tested if you have even the mildest of symptoms. It means regular hand hygiene, avoiding touching your face, physical distancing, and using a face mask if you cannot physically distance.<\/p>\n<p>Practising these measures routinely, together with other measures like cabin air filtration, go a long way to keep us safe from infectious diseases when we fly.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nRead more:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-the-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-is-now-a-global-game-changer-150660\">Why the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is now a global game changer<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\n<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/150735\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ramon-zenel-shaban-456573\">Ramon Zenel Shaban<\/a>, Clinical Chair and Professor of Infection Prevention and Disease Control at the University of Sydney, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-sydney-841\">University of Sydney<\/a><\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/cristina-sotomayor-castillo-778908\">Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo<\/a>, Postdoctoral research fellow, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-sydney-841\">University of Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/worried-about-covid-risk-on-a-flight-heres-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-and-how-airlines-can-step-up-150735\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Airline travel health advice has so far mostly focused on how to stay hydrated and avoid deep vein thrombosis. What &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":276496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54365,3,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-instagram","category-lifestyle","category-travel","mauthors-ramon-zenel-shaban-clinical-chair-and-professor-of-infection-prevention-and-disease-control-at-the-university-of-sydney-university-of-sydney","mauthors-cristina-sotomayor-castillo-postdoctoral-research-fellow-university-of-sydney","mauthors-the-conversation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276495"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276498,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276495\/revisions\/276498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}