China tells cabin crew to wear diapers on flights while travelling to COVID-19 hit countries

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has issued a 38-page list guideline or airlines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In the guidelines it is recommended that the cabin crew members  on charter flights to high-risk Covid-19 destinations should wear disposable diapers and avoid using the bathroom to reduce the risk of infection. Other advice for the flights includes dividing the cabin into “clean area, buffer zone, passenger sitting area and quarantine area," separated by disposable curtains. The last three rows should be designated as an emergency quarantine area, CAAC said.

China’s aviation market was hit hard at the onset of the outbreak in Wuhan and subsequent spread around the country. But it has recovered -- on the domestic front at least -- to close to pre-pandemic levels, while other regions such as Europe and the U.S. struggle to bring Covid-19 under control. Airlines have insisted that it is safe to fly during the pandemic, partly thanks to the hospital-grade air filters on planes, but some researchers say it isn’t yet clear to conclude there’s minimal risk. Some cases have documented transmission on flights when passengers wore masks and sat far apart. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the recommendation applies for charter flights to and from countries and regions where infections exceed 500 in every one million people.