Covid19 Part XVIII-25,473 in ROI(1,736 deaths) 5,760 in NI (551 deaths)(30/06)Read OP

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Well they're hardly going to be able to leave them on when eating or drinking.

Airline filtration systems are hosptial operating theatre standard, the risk isn't as high as you might think.

Looking forward to getting back to traveling.

Fair point so but the risk of contamination occurring is non zero in both an airplane and a hospital operating theatre. Compared to most other situations proximity plays a big role. (2m rule for that reason)

The aptly titled "germs on a plane" paper explains more. It also references the "hit" movie snakes on a plane.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/195/5/621/841980

During the SARS outbreak, investigations were conducted among passengers who traveled on 40 flights with patients on board who had symptomatic SARS. Transmission is thought to have occurred on board 5 of 40 flights. On 4 flights, a small number of suspected infections occurred among persons seated within a few rows of the index patient, consistent with spread by large droplets. However, on 1 flight from Hong Kong to Beijing, 22 of 120 passengers and crew were thought to have become infected, which suggests airborne spread over a considerable distance [3]. Many commercial aircraft use vertical airflow and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that should limit exposure to small airborne particles. However, there are no regulations requiring HEPA filters or for testing of the function of filters [10].

NDWC wrote: »

Anyone that doesn't feel like planes are safe can stay at home, simple.

I won't be one of them

That's the current status now. The fact that a virus has been scientifically proven to spread in the close confines of a plane may be an inconvenience to some but it could cause the death of countless people when you factor in 2nd and 3rd order subsequent spread as had happened in US.

No matter when we "open up", resume flights etc. This can happen. While I believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness I don't agree with unrestricted travel/ no quarantine when the world is in the midst of a global pandemic.

Would be great if planes could be regulated to be safe. O'Leary et al have made it clear they don't care about the quarantine / social distancing etc in the context of this pandemic and are legally challenging it.

Strazdas wrote: »

Far fewer cases circulating in Europe at the moment though. If this was early March, I would agree with you, but the risk at the moment and into the summer must be extremely low.

Yeah the risk is probably lower. I'd be concerned around the airlines and how flight routing happens. You could be getting a flight to somewhere in Spain and think it should be grand.

What you might not know and could occur is that the plane you are on was on a different route earlier in the morning and someone who is a worker in a meat factory or a nurse who comes into contact with Covid patients is actually who had Covid (presymptomatic) sat in the same seat you now find yourself sitting in.

Ryanair have stated they won't be cleaning in-between turn arounds only at end of day.

Given the number of patients still in hospitals in UK the risk of something like that is low but significant enough for me to be unlucky.

Other people would feel different and I respect that.

That's a personal point of view but on the aggregate / societal point of view. The number of bums in seats and the frequency of flights means that the likelihood of that scenario is in fact quite high and could kick off a second wave.

Spain is dependent on tourism to live. I'm not therefore while I respect their decision to reopen (out of necessity) I won't be sunnying myself on the costa any time soon.

It's amazing the way only Iranian airlines are capable of spreading the virus. Iran bad, Ryanair good? BBC investigated. Watch the report and replace Mahan with Ryan. And Middle East with Europe.

Coronavirus by Air: The spread of Covid-19 in the Middle East
An investigation by BBC News Arabic has analysed flight tracking data and open source footage which shows how Iran's largest airline - Mahan Air - continued to fly while government flight bans were in place, and contributed to the spread of Covid-19 in the Middle East.
Mahan Air ran hundreds of flights to and from Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Syria between late January and the end of March. All these countries gave Mahan Air permission to land. And they did so while their own bans on routine flights from Iran were in place.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-52537663/coronavirus-by-air-the-spread-of-covid-19-in-the-middle-east

Strazdas wrote: »

It should be noted though that people weren't contracting the virus on board the actual plane. They were already infected before the flight - which is a different issue (the question of whether borders should be open or not).

And you know this how? That's a bit of an absolutist statement given the number of flights and people on them and the fact that studies of SARS have shown people did contract while on flight with infected person. I'd bet at least one did but like you.

I DON'T KNOW.