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SINGAPORE: Facial masks will soon be mandatory for passengers traveling on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its regional wing SilkAir, as part of new measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting at 11:59 pm Sunday, all passengers on SIA and SilkAir flights must bring their own face mask on board and wear it throughout the flight, SIA said in a notice on its website on Saturday (May 9) .
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Passengers must also observe safe distance measures when boarding and disembarking, as well as when queuing to go to the bathroom.
This is in accordance with a directive from the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority, the airline said.
READ: Comment: Singapore’s aviation and tourism recovery will be very slow after COVID-19, but long-term prospects remain bright
It also announced other travel measures for certain flights.
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Customers traveling to Singapore will undergo a basic health assessment before boarding, including a verbal health statement and temperature checks, the airline said.
Meal services for flights within Southeast Asia and services to China will be suspended. Passengers will receive a bag of snacks with water and soft drinks when boarding instead.
All other flights will have meals provided.
“These measures are in addition to the existing precautionary measures that SIA and SilkAir have implemented to safeguard the well-being of our clients and crew,” said SIA.
These other measures include suspending hot towel service on board and removing menu cards and back-up reading material such as magazines on all flights.
Cabin crew members and pilots have their temperatures taken before flights and do not report to work if they are not OK, SIA said. They also wear masks and goggles or visors during flights.
In addition, the aircraft undergo a “thorough cleaning process” and are equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, he said.
READ: Singapore Airlines to Report Fourth Quarter Loss on Fuel Hedges
The current COVID-19 pandemic has hit the aviation sector hard, as countries tighten borders and apply safe distancing blocks to combat the new coronavirus.
In late March, SIA announced that it would reduce the combined passenger capacity of SIA and SilkAir by 96% until the end of April. Flight cancellations were later extended to June, amid continuing global travel restrictions.
On Friday, SIA said it would report a significant operating loss in the quarter ending March 31, in part due to a collapse in fuel prices that led to significant coverage losses.
Operating cash flows are expected to remain negative in the quarter ending June 30, at a time when most of its fleet is ashore due to the coronavirus crisis, the airline said. Additional losses of fuel coverage are expected in that quarter, he added.
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