Of the countless practical problems of the pandemic, which severely affect our daily lives, perhaps one aspect that has remained somewhat overshadowed is that relating to behaviors to avoid contagion during air travel. It is worth exploring this issue and shedding some light. In fact, at the beginning of the pandemic, staying on an airplane seemed almost a risky venture. Some scholars even feared that airplanes could be sites for super-spreading events. For example, in March, a Vietnamese businesswoman with a sore throat and cough boarded a flight to London. Ten hours later, she landed in Hanoi, Vietnam, the result: she infected 15 people during the flight, including more than half of the passengers seated with her in business class.
Then, in April, airlines changed "course." Many began requiring passengers to wear masks on planes, and the others then followed suit and adapted their prevention measures to the new situation. In late September, the Atlanta CDCs stated that "it is strongly recommended" that all passengers and crew members wear masks.
But the question that arises at this point is, are masks really protective?"
The answer is not long in coming, and the conclusions I will present offer a glimmer of hope and new ideas about protection in airplanes. One answer comes from a study carried out in Hong Kong, where health officials meticulously tested and monitored all passengers landing in the city with PCR upon arrival, quarantined them in individual rooms for 14 days, and then tested again. This made it possible to identify which passengers boarded a plane while they were already infected with the virus and whether they might have infected anyone else in the course of the trip.
It was first noted that the discipline of wearing masks was being strictly enforced on Emirates airline flights, which were closely monitored.
In this regard, all Emirates flights from Dubai to Hong Kong between June 16 and July 5 were examined. During those three weeks, Emirates operated five flights with seven or more infected passengers on each flight, for a total of 58 coronavirus-positive passengers flying on eight-hour trips. Yet, no other people on those planes-none of the other 1,500 to 2,000 passengers-got the virus, as reported in the Journal of Travel Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa178
In essence, there was no transmission!
On another Emirates flight, as many as 27 people who tested positive for coronavirus boarded the plane in Dubai. Guess how many other passengers were infected during the eight-hour flight? Only two cases.
Without the masks, many more cases would have occurred. Several other high-risk flights were found without transmission, including an executive jet that flew from Tokyo to Tel Aviv, Israel, with two of 11 passengers infected with the coronavirus. Special care in wearing face masks actually prevented transmission, and no positives occurred.
The other airlines have also adapted to the same discipline, and cases of acquired positivity in flight so far have not occurred. This is a fact.
On the other hand, it should be mentioned that the planes are still equipped with air conditioning systems with HEPA filters that sterilize infectious agents present in the cabin atmosphere. By eliminating with the adoption of barrier respiratory protection the possibility of the passage of infectious microorganisms from the neighbors of the seat, who are also duly masked, the chances of contagion with SARS-CoV-2 are practically zeroed.
They are not the only ones.
But then what masks to choose for an airplane trip? Probably FFP2, FFP3, N95 or better N99 masks worn according to the rules dictated by the official guidelines, i.e., carefully adhered to the face with freshly washed hands, etc., perhaps with a HEPA filter inserted in the fabric constitute the best practically feasible defense. It is also advisable to wear a clear face shield or so-called goggles (plastic protective goggles). It is also advisable not to touch your face futilely or absentmindedly and to clean your seat and armrests with cleansing soaps. When boarding and arriving, respect social spacing.
