Air Travellers Are 3-Times More Likely To Get Infected With Omicron Variant: How To Be Safe Inside Flights?

It’s been two years now the world has been engulfed with this tiny virus called the coronavirus. Just when start to live amicably with it mutates and surprises with a new mutant. After Delta, now its turn of the Omicron variant to bring the world on its feet. Authorities all over the world are preparing themselves and people in general, for the prospective attack on the human race.

Now, according to experts, you are two to three times more likely to catch omicron while traveling through air.

Air Travel may increase Omicron Transmission, say experts

According to David Powell, physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association, Aircraft passengers are twice or even three times more likely to catch Covid-19 during a flight since the emergence of the Omicron variant. It should be noted that International Air Transport Association represents almost 300 carriers worldwide.

It is well known by now that, the new strain is highly transmissible and has become dominant in a matter of weeks. It now accounts for more than 70% of all new cases in the US alone. Even though hospital-grade air filters on modern passenger jets make the risk of infection much lower on planes than in crowded places on the ground, Omicron is rapidly spreading just as more travelers taking air routes for year-end holidays and family reunions.

According to the IATA expert, Business class may be safer than more densely packed economy cabins. As before, passengers should avoid face-to-face contact and surfaces that are frequently touched, and people sitting near to each other should try not to be unmasked at the same time during meals, he added further

Stringent adherence to safety measures is must

Mr. Powell says, “Whatever the risk was with Delta, we would have to assume the risk would be two to three times greater with Omicron, just as we’ve seen in other environments. Whatever that low risk — we don’t know what it is — on the airplane, it must be increased by a similar amount.”

Even though the risk of catching Covid-19 is higher with Omicron it should be noted that there aren’t many different things that we need to. We need to follow the same safety measures more stringently.

Mr. Powel said, “ Avoid common touch surfaces, hand hygiene whenever possible, masks, distancing, control boarding procedures, try to avoid face to face contact with other customers, try to avoid being unmasked in flight (apart from whenever necessary)”.