Flying safer than a Restaurant
24 Nov 2020, Posted by in Travel Tips
With proper measures flying can be safer than eating at a restaurant during the pandemic, study says
The risk of catching the coronavirus on an airplane can be significantly reduced if travelers wash their hands frequently, wear masks at all times, and if airlines clean and sanitize planes thoroughly and ensure there is a constant flow of air throughout the cabin — even when the plane is parked, according to a study released Tuesday.
NEW YORK — Using these and other measures as part of a layered approach could push the risk of catching the virus on a plane below that of other activities, including grocery shopping and eating at a restaurant, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health concluded.
“Though a formidable adversary, SARS-CoV-2 need not overwhelm society’s capacity to adapt and progress,” the report said. “It is possible to gain a measure of control and to develop strategies that mitigate spread of the disease while allowing a careful reopening of sectors of society.”
The Harvard study follows the recent release of a Defense Department study that concluded that wearing a mask continuously while flying could reduce the spread of the virus because of how air is filtered and circulated on an airplane. Along with previous research, the two studies further bolster the case for wearing face coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently updated its guidance on face coverings to say that it “strongly recommends” that masks be worn on all forms of public and commercial transportation.
The Harvard team included experts on environmental health, industrial hygiene and infectious diseases whose goal was to develop a “comprehensive understanding of the intersection between the science informing SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the operations in the aviation environment.”