Chinese Flight Attendants Are Advised To Use Diapers To Avoid Spreading COVID-19 In The Toilet

JAKARTA - As the COVID-19 pandemic is rampant, transportation officials around the world are looking for ways to keep passengers and crew on board safe.

On November 25, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) released new guidelines for the country's aviation industry, which it oversees.

The document entitled 'Technical Guide to Epidemic Prevention and Control for Airlines, Sixth Edition' contains advice on best hygiene practices to be practiced on planes and at airports.

Citing CNN, Saturday, December 12, there is a suggestion that makes people raise their eyebrows. The advice is given to flight crew, such as flight attendants, to use disposable diapers so they don't have to go to the toilet.

As part of self-protection, the guidelines also mention that cabin crew on flights to and from countries at high risk of COVID-19 to wear 'medical masks, double-layer disposable medical gloves, goggles, disposable caps, disposable protective clothing and covers disposable shoes. '

The following sentence reads: "It is recommended that cabin crew wear disposable diapers and avoid using the toilet except for special circumstances to avoid the risk of infection."

While such advice may seem dramatic, it's no secret that toilets can be the most germicidal places on airplanes.

In August, a woman traveling from Italy to South Korea contracted COVID-19 during her trip. When he went to the toilet, he took off his N95 mask. It is possible that the woman caught COVID-19 while in the toilet.

Airplane bathroom design was already a hot topic before COVID-19. But the pandemic has focused efforts to come up with new solutions to aircraft toilet designs.

The Japanese airline, ANA, announced in early 2020 that it was testing a prototype of a new toilet door. Meanwhile, Boeing has successfully filed a patent for a "self-cleaning toilet" that will use UV light to clean 99.9 percent of toilet germs after use.

David Freedman, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said passengers should avoid airplane toilets whenever possible. He said about the risks associated with long haul flights.

"Longer flights have more opportunities for contamination through the toilet," said Freedman.

On shorter flights, passengers are more likely not to use the airplane toilets.

Long journeys, such as the 15-hour journey between the United States (US) and China, also give others more exposure, doctors say.

A recent study by New Zealand health officials found that a man who contracted COVID-19 on an 18-hour flight passed the coronavirus to at least four other passengers, although the mode of transmission has not been confirmed.