AFP
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In China you can only fly with a protective mask. Coming soon?
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Social distancing is hardly practicable in an airplane – unless airlines cut the middle seats, which would cause ticket prices to skyrocket. Protection recommendations for airlines do not seem to be so rigorous as to include the risk of a second pandemic wave. After all, it was air traffic that presumably sowed Covid-19 from China around the world. For this reason, new and sometimes strict measures should apply to air traffic, when airlines are expected to slowly start up their route networks again from June. Henceforth, especially in the wood class, flying will probably have less to do with relaxation.
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According to a 30-page paper by the Federal Office of Public Health, which is available in the “SonntagsZeitung”, temperature sensors could be used at Swiss airports to find out who was ill. In these tests, passengers whose body temperature is higher than 38 degrees are said to get stuck. Compared to other countries, this temperature threshold seems to be set relatively high. In many places in Asia, where Covid-19 appears to be largely contained, nobody is allowed to enter a supermarket whose body temperature exceeds 37 degrees.
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The proposed federal measures are recommendations for a protection concept that the European Union Agency for Aviation Safety (EASA) has drawn up together with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. It is up to individual states to introduce the guidelines. Even travelers from Switzerland will hardly be able to avoid some of them.
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Measuring fever, less hand luggage, no queuing in front of on-board toilets
Temperature controls could also be set up at Swiss airports. So far, Switzerland has waived such tests as an entry and exit condition. An airline, however, is already measuring the temperature of passengers at Zurich Airport: Alitalia, on the instructions of the Italian government. Passengers with a fever are prohibited from entering the aircraft. According to EASA recommendations, passengers with a medical certificate should be able to cancel or rebook their trip free of charge up to six hours before departure.
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Carrying hand luggage on board is also likely to change drastically. Emirates has already decided that hand luggage should now be checked in. Only «important items such as handbags, briefcases or baby items» are allowed in the cabin. The authorities seem to be annoyed by the stowage of hand luggage because it significantly increases boarding times.
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Waiting in front of the toilet on board, as is usually the case on long-haul flights before landing, should no longer be tolerated. Social distancing on an airplane is generally difficult to maintain. Let alone when passengers crowd in front of the on-board toilet. There should also be an end to legs on the galley, and especially on short-haul flights, drinks and snacks should no longer be served. Duty-free sales on board should also soon be a thing of the past.
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Controversial protective mask
At least passengers in delayed planes should literally breathe a sigh of relief. One of the proposed measures is that airlines must not allow their passengers to remain in a delayed aircraft for more than half an hour. Waiting in stuffy hot air in a full cabin would be at least one of the inconveniences that would be spared in the future because of Corona.
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Wearing a protective mask when checking in and in the cabin will also not become a requirement until further notice. This, although Ryan O’Leary, 59, chief of budget airline Ryanair, for example, accuses the authorities that masks “reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread by about 98.5 percent.” In Canada, for example, masks have been mandatory on airplanes since mid-April.
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Instead, the British authorities opted for a 14-day forced quarantine for passengers arriving in the Kingdom – which O’Leary condemns as an “ineffective” and “uncontrollable” measure. (kes)
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The corona virus currently occupies the whole world and there are new developments every day. All current information and figures on the subject are available in the Coronavirus ticker.
