Is it time for travel? Health experts give travel advice safe

In the era of the Corona virus, fear of flying means something completely different, with the greatest concern being how to avoid infection. And if you have to travel, here are some things to consider.

Below, Cassie Ernst, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Arizona, and Paloma Bimmer, associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Arizona, have given advice on what to consider and how to reduce the risk of air travel.

Why are you afraid of flying?

The main concern during flights, or even while traveling by bus or train, is to sit 6 feet from the person infected with the Coronavirus. It must be remembered that even people without symptoms can pass on the infection.

The risk of infection corresponds directly to your exposure to the environment around you, which is determined by the length of time you are exposed to and the amount of drops contaminated with the virus in the air.

Another concern is contact with contaminated surfaces. When an infected person contaminates a common armrest, an airport toilet handle, a seat tray, or any other surface, the virus can stay for hours despite the passage of time. If you touch this surface and then touch your mouth or nose, you put yourself at risk of infection.

Before you book, think

Although there is no way to make plane travel 100% safe, there are ways to make it safe enough. It is important to think about the specifics of each trip.

And what professional health experts call a hierarchy of controls for your decision-making can be used, and this approach is based on two things, firstly focusing on strategies to control your near-exposure exposure, and second, it reduces the amount of dependence on individual human behavior to control exposure.

It is important to remember that you may be contagious and everyone around you may also be contagious.

The best way to control exposure is to eliminate the risk ratio. Since we cannot cancel the new Corona virus, ask yourself if you can cancel the trip. Think carefully if you are older or have previous symptoms, or if you are going to visit someone in such a situation.

If you are healthy and the people you are visiting are also healthy, consider ways to replace the risks. For example, is it possible to drive to the spot, and this will allow you more control to reduce your exposure to the virus, especially if the distance is less than a day of travel.

I decided to go, what next?

If you choose to travel, you should review airline policies regarding seating and boarding. Some companies reduce the capacity of passengers, and strive to keep them apart by canceling the middle seats and leaving the rows of seats empty. Some airlines, which have been criticized for filling their planes to capacity, have announced plans to allow customers to cancel their flights if the passenger seat capacity exceeds 70%.

Federal and state guidance is constantly changing, so be sure to check for the latest directions from government agencies, airlines, and airports that you use for more advice, policies, or current restrictions.

While this may seem illogical, consider booking multiple flights with a shorter duration. This will reduce the likelihood of using the toilet and the duration of exposure to an infectious person on board.

After confirming the reservation, select the window seat if possible. And if you think about a 6-foot radius around you, having a wall on one side will directly reduce the number of people you are exposed to during the journey, in half, not to mention all the people who use the corridor.

 

Your airline must be checked for engineering controls that are designed or put into place to isolate risk. They include ventilation systems, on-board barriers, and electrostatic disinfectant sprays on flights.

When the ventilation system is operated on airplanes, the aircraft have a high percentage of fresh external air and recycled air, which is about 10 times higher than most commercial buildings. In addition, most aircraft ventilation systems have high air filters for particle efficiency. It is at least 99.9% effective at removing particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns and more efficient at removing small and large particles.

How to be safe until you reach the plane seat

From check-in, through airport checkpoints, to boarding the plane, you will definitely touch many surfaces. To reduce the risks:

Bring sterile wipes to disinfect surfaces and your personal belongings.

If you cannot find sterile wipes, bring a small piece of cloth dampened with a bleach solution in a compressed bag. Viruses are not likely to grow on a bleached cloth. But remember, more bleach does not mean more protection. You only need 1 tablespoon of four cups of water to be effective.

Bring zipped plastic bags for personal items that other people may handle, such as your ID. Bring additional bags so that you can put these things in a new bag after you have the opportunity to disinfect them.

Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer as much as possible. Although soap and water are more effective, hand sanitizer is useful after washing your hands to ensure that all germs are eliminated.

Once in the window seat on the plane, keep your place.

Apply a mask. If you already have a N95 muzzle, consider using it, and if not, there are other protections available. Experts do not recommend purchasing the N95 muzzle until health care workers have adequate supplies. Technically, the muzzle must be tested to ensure it is suitable for face protection. Some experts recommend not to use gloves, as this may give a false sense of safety, and has been associated with reduced hand hygiene practices.