As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, transportation officials around the world have been looking for ways to keep passengers and crew safe on board aircraft.
See also: IATA and pilots ask to exempt crews Covid-19 tests.
On November 25, China’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) issued new guidelines for the country’s airline industry, reported CNN.
The document, entitled Technical Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Airline Epidemics, Sixth Edition, contains advice on best hygiene practices to be carried out on aircraft and at airports.
See also: A New York airport tests a blockchain-based coronavirus cleaning application.
But one of those suggestions, that staff, such as flight attendants, use disposable diapers so they don’t have to go to the bathroom, has raised some eyebrows.
A section on PPE advises cabin crew on flights to and from high-risk countries to use “medical masks, double-layer disposable medical gloves, goggles, disposable hats, disposable protective clothing, and disposable shoe covers.
The next sentence reads: “It is recommended that cabin crew members use disposable diapers and avoid using the restrooms except under special circumstances to avoid risk of infection.
While this advice may seem dramatic, it’s no secret that bathrooms can be the most germ-ridden place on an airplane.
In August, a woman traveling from Italy to South Korea contracted coronavirus during her trip, and a visit to the bathroom, the only place where she removed her N95 mask, was named as the possible source of her infection.
Airplane bathroom design was already a hot topic before covid-19, but the pandemic has focused efforts on finding new solutions.
The Japanese airline ANA announced earlier this year that it was testing a prototype of a new hands-free bathroom door. Meanwhile, Boeing successfully applied for a patent on a “self-cleaning sink” that would use ultraviolet light to clean 99.9 percent of the germs in the bathroom after each use.
By Lilit Marcus
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