This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
With the July 4 holiday weekend approaching, US airlines have been implementing various safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amongst passengers.
According to infectious disease specialist Dr. William Schaffner of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, airlines are taking a 'layered-approach' to reduce the risk of transmission.
"To implement a series of measures that work together to reduce risk. You can't rely solely on any one of them because there is no magic bullet that takes care of everything," Dr. Schaffner said.
Major US airlines require masks and have threatened to remove a passenger's flying rights for failing to comply. Dr. Schaffner noted, "If I had to choose one thing, masks would be far and away from the single most important thing."
Other safety measures include the use of HEPA air filters, which are standard on commercial aircraft and filter cabin air about every three minutes, removing 99.97 per cent of airborne particles.
Some airlines, such as Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, are blocking middle seats through at least September, while others, like American Airlines and United Airlines, are not.
"Close intimate contact is the way this virus is spread. You're at risk based on the condition of the fellow passenger in your same row, two rows forward and two rows back," Dr. Schaffner explained.
Airlines have also increased cleaning between flights and overnight, disinfecting high-touch surfaces from seat buckles to overhead bin handles with products approved to kill human coronavirus.
Additionally, some airlines are using an electrostatic spray that wraps around aircraft surfaces, killing viruses on contact and forming a protective shield for 30 days.
"These steps take care of the inanimate part of the transmission. If you're particularly fastidious, bring some wipes along," Dr. Schaffner suggested.
Temperature checks are also being implemented by some airlines, such as Frontier Airlines, which began its own screenings last month.
"Useful but with profound limitations," Dr. Schaffner noted.
Leading airlines are requiring passengers to disclose during the check-in process whether they have any COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed in the past 14 days.
"This is also limited because people can just tell you falsehoods," Dr. Schaffner said.
Limiting food and drink services is also a common practice, with most airlines suspending in-flight services on domestic flights.
"The issue is that you have to remove your mask while eating or drinking," Dr. Schaffner explained.
Decals indicating 6-ft spaces on the floors are also being used in airports to remind people to keep a distance.
"That's a simple, inexpensive and very good thing to do. People do need reminding," Dr. Schaffner said.
