Coronavirus in UAE: Airlines urge passengers to improve hygiene

Dubai - Airlines have altered their flights to worst-hit countries, such as Iran, China, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia.

People who must travel at this time, amid the global Covid-19 epidemic, are strongly advised to practise good hand hygiene for the safety of other plane passengers and cabin crew.
While airlines in the country have stepped up cleaning protocols and ensured that their staff is updated with any new medical guidelines, they said passengers must also take extra precaution.
"This is a dynamic situation which we are managing carefully as a business, and we strongly urge our customers to practice good hand and health hygiene and follow health authorities' guidelines," said Adel Al Redha, chief operating officer at Emirates airline.
The world's largest carrier for international passengers said its crew is trained to handle various medical incidents on board. Hand sanitisers were also made available across all of its facilities.
Budget carrier flydubai has put similar protocols in place. "We are taking all necessary steps as outlined by the international authorities that include a robust aircraft cleaning programme. 
"We recommend that passengers follow the personal hygiene guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation," a flydubai spokesperson said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
Airlines have altered their flights to worst-hit countries, such as Iran, China, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia. So far, all Gulf countries have reported cases of coronavirus. Globally, more than 3,100 people have died due to virus and over 90,000 were infected.
Risk of catching virus via plane's air supply is 'low'
The risk of catching any serious viral infection during a flight is "very low", explained Dr Amr El Naggar, head of emergency at Medcare Hospital Al Safa. This is because the air on planes is purified with surgical-grade filters.
However, the risk remained if passengers were close to somebody on board who was unwell during the journey.
"We know that this virus has spread in the vast majority of cases through close contact with someone who is unwell at the time. So that risk is what remains, and there are simple things you can do to reduce that risk. But through the air supply, the risk is low," he added.
According to Dr El Naggar, respiratory viruses transmit mostly through droplet spread - which is coughing or sneezing. This means people contaminate a surface which another person immediately touches.
"So hand hygiene is the primary thing."
What doctors say?
In general, people who are unwell are strongly advised to delay or avoid travel to affected areas, said Dr Sreekumar Sreedharan, internal medicine specialist at Aster Clinic.
"This particularly applies to elderly travellers and people with chronic diseases or underlying health conditions," he said.
If travel is unavoidable, however, doctors agree that hand hygiene is the best protection from coronavirus during a flight.
Dr Atul Aundhekar, group CEO of Avivo Group, said: "People should avoid touching their own face and must frequently wash and dry their hands. Follow basic cough etiquette, which means coughing or sneezing into a tissue. If you can't do that, then cough into your elbow and then immediately clean your hands."
HYGIENE GUIDELINES FOR TRAVELLERS
>Don't fly if you are unwell
>Inform the crew if a passenger next to you is unwell
>Cover your nose, mouth when coughing/sneezing with tissue
>Dispose of tissue immediately after use, and sanitise your hands
>Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
>Don't touch your mouth/nose with unwashed hands
>Avoid contact withsick people
>Sanitise your hands after using the restroom
>Make sure your hands are clean before eating
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com