Coronavirus outbreak, situation update worldwide

Countries affected from coronavirus

An ongoing community transmission of a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported globally. Coronavirus pandemic 2019-2020 first detected in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Main WHO regions where COVID-19 cases are confirmed include Africa (Algeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Sudan), Americas (United states, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina), Eastern Mediterranean (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Europe (Denmark, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Russia, Spain, Turkey, United kingdom), South-East Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand) and Western pacific (Australia, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore)   As of 21 March 2020, a total of 275,469 cases were confirmed with 175,806 active cases and 11,402 deaths in 157 countries and territories including five cruise ships.

Guidelines for Airlines

Ensuring business continuity at all levels is an essential part of crisis management.  In this particular case the continuity of health-related activities is directly linked with the continuity of transport activities as this has a direct impact on the availability of required medication, protective equipment and medical experts. Civil aviation communities must follow the information and guidelines provided by WHO.

1: Temperature screening

Cabin attendants should be equipped with calibrated non-contact infrared thermometer to detect the passenger who has a fever.

2: Infection Control Measures for Crewmembers

  • Aircraft operators performing passenger flights to or from the affected areas should be equipped with one or more Universal Precaution Kits.
  • Cabin attendants should wear surgical mask with low exposure risk and medical protective masks (or N95 masks) with higher epidemic risks (e.g. passengers on board from areas like Hubei province).
  • Alcohol wet wipes are recommended for hand disinfection. After disposing of the waste, cabin attendants should wash hands with soap and water before disinfection.
  • Aircraft operators performing passenger flights to or from the affected areas should be equipped with one or more Universal Precaution Kits should be equipped with one or more Universal Precaution Kits.
  • When contacting with passengers, cabin attendants should wear disposable rubber or nitrile gloves.
  • Cabin attendants should wear medical protective masks and replace masks with new one when masks are contaminated.
  • When contacting ill passengers, suspected or confirmed patients, cabin attendants should wear protective goggles and disposable protective clothing.

3: Aircraft cleaning and disinfection

  • Wet cleaning of aircraft should be done before disinfection which is known as preventive, concurrent and terminal disinfection.
  • Different types of cleaning (flight deck, cabin, galley, la should be done in accordance to the ground parking time. If time is less, then lavatory and galley should be cleaned as a priority.
  • Aircraft post-flight preventive disinfection should be done.

     4: Quarantine Management for Crewmembers

  • In the case of any crewmember having specific symptoms (such as fever, fatigue and dry cough) and exposure event, all crewmembers who have been assigned in the same flights within the last 14 days should be quarantined.
  • Crewmembers should be quarantined after carriage of confirmed, suspected or asymptomatic patients within the last 14 days.
  • The quarantined crewmember should be released after 14 days without above symptoms.
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Advice for coronavirus: Everything you need to know Before Travel

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from common cold to more severe diseases.  A novel coronavirus is a new strain which is not previously identified in human. It is discovered that coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and human being. The most commonly recently discovered coronavirus cause coronavirus disease called as COVID-19. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

CDC’s recommendation

Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) has established geographic risk assessment stratification according to which travelers should avoid non-essential travel to China, Iran and most of Europe.

Precautionary measures for travelers

The outbreak of COVID-19 continuous to evolve so, travelers must do few things  to help protect themselves from the exposure of this new virus.

Know the symptoms

Travelers must know the signs and symptoms of coronavirus in order to protect themselves. Symptoms can appear in 2 to 14 days after being exposed to virus. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are tiredness, fever and dry cough. Some people may have runny nose, aches, diarrhea, sore throat and nasal congestion. About 80% people recover from the disease without any special treatment. Only 1 out of every 6 people who gets disease becomes seriously ill. Older people, and those having medical problems are more likely to develop serious illness.

Regular monitoring of travel advisories

Travelers must carefully follow guidance from the World health organization (WHO) and CDC and monitor evidence-guidance. They must be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice.

Use facemasks

 Use facemasks for personal protection even If you are fit and well, with no symptoms, wearing facemasks as a general prevention measure is helpful in order to minimize the risk of transmission. Your mask should cover mouth and nose and avoid touching your mask once it’s on.

Immediately discard single use mask after each use and wash your hands after removing it.

Wash your hands

Wash your hands often with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contain at least 60% alcohol.

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  • Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people suffering from a fever and cough.
  • Cover your cough using a tissue paper instead of your hand.

Monitor your health

Monitor your health conditions before and during travel on plane. Avoid travel if you have a fever and cough. If you have a fever cough or difficulty in breathing while travelling inform crew and seek medical care early. If you seek medical attention share your travel history with your health care provider.

Take hygienic food

According to WHO travelers should eat only well-cooked food. They should sanitize their hands before eating anything.

Don’t panic

while it’s understandable that people get nervous, Dr. Katz said, “It is something to be concerned about and pay attention to and take personal precautions, but at the moment to not panic.”

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International Tickets Are the Cheapest We’ve Ever Seen!

In response to the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak around the world, every airline is taking extra steps that go above and beyond regulatory requirements to ensure that passengers health and comfort remains their number one priority.

Airlines have implemented fee waivers for all passengers
Travelers are taking a second look at their travel plans right now, and airlines want them to have flexibility when planning their next trip – that’s why when they book a flight with most of the airlines between March 11th and May 1st, 2020 they can change it for free over the next 12 months. Airlines have reduced number of flights to minimize the impact to passengers. 

International Tickets Are the Cheapest We’ve Ever Seen!
Lower demand for travel and thousands of cancellations over uncertainties about the COVID-19 are leading to airfare bargains specially in business and first class. Savvy travelers can take advantage of these bargain fares for travel all over the world with no risk of loosing their money because airlines are offering unlimited changes and waivers without any penalty to travelers who are booking tickets from now till May, 2020.



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This is how you should sleep on a plane to avoid a bad back, stiff neck or swollen legs

sleepingplane

You don,t have to leave a flight with a stiff neck and swollen feet. There are several ways to keep good posture on a plane. Most important things to know are where to put your head, how to keep your blood circulating and the best ways to support your back.

While it’s important to put smaller bags under the seat in front to save space in the overhead cabins. It’s also very important to keep a decent amount of leg room. Make sure to leave some room around your feet for stretching out and to keep the circulation flowing in your legs.

You have to keep your joints supple and circulation moving. A good way to keep your joints supple and circulation moving is to take a loo break. This short walk to and from the toilet will do wonders for your body.

Plane seats are tailored to support your back. Make use of the curves in the chair and allow it to support your lower back, instead of sitting forward.

Make use of inflatable pillow so you can get to sleep by using them differently to the traditional way. You can either use the inflatable pillow for back support at the bottom of the spine, or by putting the tray table down and placing the pillow on top, in order to rest your head. Put the pillow on the tray if you are planning on using a laptop, so you aren’t looking down at the screen

 

 

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9 Quick No’s During a Flight

 

What to wear? The rules of fashion are bit different in-flight than the ground. When flying up to 35,000 feet in the air in a metal fish (planes always remind me of big fish), choose comfort over the fashion.  Of course, you cannot look shabby. Dress well but make sure that you do not opt for clothing which might cause discomfort during the flight. Look like a traveler that you are rather than a fashion faux pas in distress.

These 9 No’s you certainly  should not want to wear during a flight;

Unbreathable Fabric :

Avoid fabric which do not let air pass through them. Like leather, nylon or rubber material. They do not let air circulate and keep sweat from evaporating.

You will certainly feel not too fashionable all hot and sweaty in your synthetic clothes now will you?

Sleek Stilettos and High Heels:

Air ports are busy places. People sprint rather than walk. Though this point is obvious still I see some women teetering in high heels. Comfy shoes make brisk walking easy at the airport.

Packing pointer – wearing your sneakers may save you up some packing space and weight as well.

Constricting Clothing:

Avoid tight clothing especially. Deep Vein Thrombosis causes dangerous blood clots in veins which is fatal. Long periods of sitting increase the risk of DVT as well as tight clothes. Be it your socks or undergarments even. Avoid them if they leave marks.

Lenses:

The plane air is dry. Occasionally, humidity is 1% even. Contacts can cause discomfort because of the dry cabin air. Your eyes can dry up so keep a pair of glasses to change into in such a case. Also don’t forget to bring moisturizing eye drops.

Dress Codes:

Airlines do have dress codes. Dress inappropriately always. If you cannot wear it to a family dinner you probably should not wear it on a flight where personal spaces get overlapped.

Tees splashed with obscenities or offensive message, too short or plunging dresses are a big no-no, some people have even been kicked out of the plane for that.

Sprays and Perfumes:

Strong smells are  also a big no. No matter how expensive or fancy your perfume is, other passengers can find it offensive. Some people can have immediate headaches caused by scents. Just avoid it all together and focus on hygiene. If you have good hygiene and have a bit of anti-perisperant you should be all set.

 

Complex Shoes:

I have travelled a lot and the variety of shoes I see always surprise me. Remember you need to be able to quickly take them off during security checking so stick to sneakers or sandals that you can slip on and off easily. You also want to be able to quickly take them of or on mid-flight in case you want to take a quick stroll up and down the aisle, use the bathroom, or if your feet get cold. Avoid shoes with too many straps, buckles, zips, laces, etc.

Ease Yourself:

Aircraft lavatories are tricky and tight places. So getting out of a bodysuit, wrap tops or dress is trouble. Avoid long pants and skirts too which may graze the washroom floor causing you to feel doubtful. Keep it simple and comfortable.

Katie Gore

July 19 2016

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