The dangers of catching the coronavirus on an aeroplane can be significantly decreased if passengers frequently wash their hands, and wear masks at all times. The study also suggests if airlines are regularly cleaned and sanitized and ensure there is a constant flow of air throughout the cabin even when the plane is parked there will be less possibility for any travellers to contract the virus.
Using these measures as part of a layered approach can decrease the dangers 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.
The research reports said, “Though a formidable adversary, SARS-CoV-2 need not overwhelm society's capacity to adapt and progress. It is possible to gain a measure of control and to develop strategies that mitigate the spread of the disease while allowing a careful reopening of sectors of society.”
This study, from the industry-funded Aviation Public Health Initiative, is likely to be noticed by airlines and plane manufacturers as they have to continue trying to convince the public that as long as proper precautions are taken it will be safe to travel by plane.
The Harvard study follows the recent release of a Defense Department study that said keeping a mask on while flying could reduce the spread of the virus because of how air is filtered and circulated on an airplane. Much previous research and the two studies further supported wearing face coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated guidelines on face-covering that recommended wearing masks as a must precautionary protocol and that it should be worn on all places 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.”
They also focused on an approach to protect people during what they called the “gate-to-gate” part of their journey. A study, expected in early 2021, will look at the science and recommend strategies to safely manage the “curb-to-curb” portion of a passenger’s journey.
"Analysis from the report shows that ventilation of air on aircraft reduces the possibility of exposure to COVID-19, lower than other common settings, such as a grocery store or indoor restaurant," the team said in a statement. "This effectively counters the proximity travellers are subject to during flights. Because of the frequent exchange of air and HEPA filters on planes, over 99% of the particles containing the virus are removed from cabin air."
For maintaining the safety on the plane, air filtration must be applied with commonsense measures such as wearing a mask by both passengers and crew throughout the journey; maintaining social distance and ensuring strong ventilation during boarding and disembarking. Regular sanitization of "high-touch aircraft surfaces," and getting passengers to be honest about any symptoms and their commitment to remaining masked except when they're eating or drinking.
Leonard Marcus, co-director of Aviation Public Health Initiative, said in the researchers' statement, "Our team found that, together with their high-performing ventilation systems, the actions that the airlines put in place — including mandatory use of face masks — significantly reduce risks of viral transmission aboard an aeroplane. With comprehensive adherence to these preventive measures by airlines and passengers, air travel, along with other sectors of society, can responsibly return to some level of normal activity as we await the development of an effective vaccine."
Similar findings made earlier this month supported the same conclusions. In that study, the U.S. The Department of Defense worked with United Airlines to run 300 tests in six months with a single mannequin on a United plane. Coughing and sneezing with and without a mask on the mannequin was measured. It was determined that all but 0.01% of particles emitted by a masked person were pumped out of the plane within minutes.
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High rates of transmission during flights, especially long ones, were conducted before mask-wearing was made compulsory.
These researchers have asserted that none of these measures can replace the work of a vaccine.
"Until there has been widespread vaccination, there remains the risk of infection in all walks of public life. As with any activity during this pandemic, the choice to fly is a personal one and depends on a traveller's health assessment, individual risk tolerance and the potential consequences of becoming infected,” a report said.