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Disinfectants sprayed in Vietnamese planes returning from China

VGP – In an effort to prevent the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), Viet Nam’s airlines have implemented the spraying of disinfectants all the planes returning from China, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), Macau (China) and Thailand.

February 18, 2020 12:34 PM GMT+7

Disinfectants sprayed in Vietnamese planes returning from China

According to a representative of the national flag carrier Viet Nam Airlines, the entire passenger cabin, the cockpit, flight attendants’ preparation area, seats and carpets will be all disinfected, with a focus on the positions with many manual contacts, such as locks in the luggage cabin and seat armrests.

It is known that the use of Disinfection Spraying CH2200, a kind of liquid disinfectant, has been approved by the aircraft manufacturers on the planes, as it does not affect the health of passengers and crew members.

In addition, in order to limit the conditions for the novel coronavirus (nCoV)’s existence and proliferation, Vietnam Airlines will keep temperature in the passenger cabin at 26 degrees Celsius throughout the flight time (according to health experts, nCoV usually weakens at a temperature of over 25 degrees Celsius).

At the same time, Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific have officially implemented health checkups for flight attendants and pilots before their flights to Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China), to make sure the flight crew are in the best health conditions when performing their mission. As for the return flights, after completing the mission, the flight crew also receive health checkups, while the planes are disinfected.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam’s new carrier Bamboo Airways said that it has also conducted sterilization in accordance with the regulations of airports. 

“We have provided masks for both the ground crew and the flight crew (pilots and flight attendants). In addition, flight attendants are given medical gloves as well,” said a Bamboo Airways representative.

Besides Viet Nam Airlines’ efforts, passengers should take preventive measures when arriving at the airport and boarding, such as washing hands regularly and using medical face masks and gloves as per the Ministry of Health’s instructions. 

HEPA filters remove up to 99.99% of particles such as dust, pollen, human skin cells, bacterium, and viruses with a minimum size of 0.001 micrometers. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), HEPA filters equipped in aircraft operate similarly to air filtration systems in surgical operating rooms. Thus, the possibility of becoming ill from airborne impurities on a plane is much lower than other confined spaces.
 
The World Health Organization (WHO) also affirms that the establishment of HEPA filters on commercial aircraft helps minimize the spread of microbes in the cabin.
 
In addition, the air in the cabin is renewed continuously every three minutes; air flows are designed to enter the cabin vertically, from top to bottom, and circulate horizontally, which contributes to preventing the spread of pollutants along the cabin./.
 
By Vien Nhu