How safe is flying with the Omicron COVID-19 variant surging?

WHAT CAN PASSENGERS DO TO REDUCE RISKS?

Get vaccinated: Full vaccination against COVID-19, plus a booster shot, if available, offers the best protection against the virus in any setting.

Mask up: Public health specialists increasingly have urged people to wear medical-grade masks, preferably the tight-fitting type known as respirators but at least surgical masks, rather than cloth ones. If it’s necessary to remove a mask to eat or drink, some researchers suggest waiting until those nearby have already done so and have replaced their face coverings.

In a study published in March, researchers estimated that taking off a mask for an hour-long meal service on a 12-hour flight increases the average probability of infection by as much as 59 per cent, compared to masking continuously. Authors of an article in the Journal of Travel Medicine recommended that passengers keep their masks on in the lavatory.

Keep your distance: As much as possible, it’s important to maintain a distance from other people and to avoid face-to-face contact especially. A study published in Germany in mid-2020 concluded that passengers could reduce contact with one another, and thus the potential for spreading the virus, by bringing fewer and smaller bags on board.

Don’t relax your guard: Navigating the airport also requires vigilance as travellers wait in queues, check in for flights, visit food vendors and use bathrooms.

DOES IT HELP TO TURN ON THE PERSONAL AIR VENT?

It’s not clear. The planemaker Embraer recommends that fliers use the vent, also known as a gasper, to blow air directly toward their seats. The company said its tests show this creates an airflow routing particles to the air-return grills on the cabin floor and minimising contamination between rows.

But a 2020 study led by the US Defense Department’s Transportation Command concluded that whether the gasper is off or on has no significant impact on the risk of aerosol transmission on planes.