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(CNN) – As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, transportation officials around the world have been looking for ways to keep passengers and crew safe on board planes.
On November 25, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) published new guidelines for the country’s airline industry, which it oversees.
The document, entitled Technical Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Epidemics for Airlines, Sixth Edition, contains advice on the best hygiene practices to be carried out on aircraft and at airports.
But one of those suggestions, that staff, like flight attendants, use disposable diapers so they don’t have to go to the bathroom, has raised some questions.
A section on PPE advises cabin crews on flights to and from high-risk countries to wear “medical masks, double-layer disposable medical gloves, protective goggles, disposable hats, disposable protective clothing and disposable shoe covers.”
The next sentence reads: “It is recommended that cabin crew members wear disposable diapers and avoid using the toilets except in special circumstances to avoid risk of infection.”
While this advice may sound dramatic, it’s no secret that bathrooms can be the germiest 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 did not wear an N95 mask, was named as the possible source of her infection.
Aircraft toilet design was already a hot topic before Covid-19, but the pandemic has focused efforts on finding new solutions.
Japanese airline ANA announced earlier this year that it was testing a prototype of a new hands-free toilet door. Meanwhile, Boeing successfully applied for a patent on a “self-cleaning sink” that would use ultraviolet light to clean 99.9% of germs from the bathroom after each use.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Chinese Flight Attendants Advised To Wear Diapers For Covid Protection”
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