High chair backs & Hepa filters are not going to do it . . .

Reading this 'safe plan' should make anyone who knows anything about the airlines to shake their head in skepticism.  

Those high chair backs have been in aircraft for many years, and so have the Hepa filters.  And still today health authorities are tracing airline passengers to let them know they may have been within contamination range of someone diagnosed with Covid19.

Hepa filters and high chair backs are not a plan for 'safe air travel'.  They're an excuse for the airlines to keep flying and making money.  Face masks?  Fine if you don't eat or drink anything and have to remove them.  

And that 'restricted services and passenger movement during flights' segment . . .
is that 'no food, no drinks, and hold-it-until-we-get-to-an-airport' bathroom rules?

Enjoy your flight.
_____________________________________
From: Transport Canada
News release
August 14, 2020                        Ottawa              Transport Canada

Government of Canada releases Canada’s Flight Plan for safe air travel


While the Government of Canada continues to recommend Canadians avoid non-essential international travel, Canadians need to know that the Government of Canada continues to work with partners to protect public health by implementing measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission during air travel.  This is especially important during a period where jurisdictions both within Canada and beyond begin to open up and lift restrictions including those on travel.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, announced Canada’s Flight Plan for Navigating COVID-19 (Canada’s Flight Plan), which is the foundation for Canada’s current and future efforts to reduce the public health risks of COVID-19 while travelling by aircraft.

This action plan puts in place a multi-layered system of safety measures to support public health by protecting air travellers and air industry workers from COVID-19.  The Government of Canada has worked with public health authorities, counterparts around the world, and industry partners to develop a plan for COVID safety in air travel that is aligned to emerging global safety standards and best practices.

Key changes apply to all aspects of air travel, including in airports and aircraft. They include travel restrictions; mandatory use of face masks for passengers and crew; mandatory health checks by air carriers prior to passenger boarding; temperature screening at the busiest Canadian airports and at points of origin for all incoming flights to Canada; restricted services and passenger movement during flights; and enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols and practices.

In airports, these designs and measures include enhanced air conditioning and filtration systems; frequent cleaning of high-touch areas; new touchless technologies to scan boarding passes; and physical distancing measures.

Modern passenger aircraft also offer a unique environment with design characteristics that reduce the risk of viral transmission.  The air is exchanged at a high rate, with HEPA filtration in most large commercial aircraft.  Further, the potential spread of the virus between rows is reduced by the high seatbacks and the fact that almost all passengers are seated in the same direction.    🤗

These measures prioritize the safety and security of travellers and industry employees, and have positioned Canada as an international leader in reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19 while travelling by air.

To date, the Government of Canada is not aware of any cases attributed to passenger-to-passenger transmission on a flight to or from Canada.   🤔

However, work continues with the provinces and territories to strengthen contact-tracing processes to reduce and quantify the risk of COVID-19 transmission during air travel.

Canada’s Flight Plan will be refined as the Government of Canada learns more about COVID-19, and as international best practices evolve to ensure safety and efficiency of the Canadian aviation system in the months and years to come.
🤧
____________________________

COVID-19 exposures: Six flights left off B.C. warning list

VANCOUVER -- The provincial centre for disease control is trying to figure out why several flights with known COVID-19 cases were left of its advisory for public exposures.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has since updated its record to include one international and five domestic flights that came through YVR in August.

Those flights with possible COVID-19 exposure:

    Aug. 3: WestJet flight 720 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows 4 to 10)
    Aug. 3: WestJet flight 714 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows seven to 13)
    Aug: 3: Air Canada flight 224 from Vancouver to Calgary (rows 20 to 26)
    Aug. 7: Air Canada flight 122 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows not reported)
    Aug. 9: Air Canada flight 243 from Edmonton to Vancouver (rows one to two, and rows 12 to 15)
    Aug. 9: Air India flight 1143 from New Delhi to Vancouver (rows not reported)

The flights appeared on a list from the federal government but not all were immediately included among provincial warnings issued last week. CTV News reported the discrepancy Friday.

In a reply to questions regarding the inconsistency, a spokesperson with the Provincial Health Services Authority said the provincial website would be updated to match the federal list of possible COVID-19 exposures. That has since happened.

“BCCDC is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine the cause of this discrepancy and ensure such situations can be mitigated in the future,” said Jane Campbell in a statement.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-exposures-six-flights-left-off-b-c-warning-list-1.5065810