Covid Concerns: Better Safe than Sorry, Say Travellers as 57% Want Masks to be Mandatory in Airports, Flights

In view of a surge in the Covid trajectory in many countries, especially in China, 57 percent travellers want wearing masks to be mandatory at airports and on flights. A survey showed 37 percent travellers wanted social distancing measures back in force at airports, while 24 percent wanted them on flights as well.

According to the survey, conducted by community social media platform LocalCirclesonly 7 percent travellers said mask compliance was effective at airports and on flights in the last 90 days. The central government’s move to test all international passengers from December 23 has got support from 65 percent of the travellers, data from the survey showed.

In India, a handful of BF.7 Omicron cases have been detected. Given the situation in China, the ministry of health and welfare has issued an advisory asking states to increase genome testing, highlighting the need for monitoring different variants in India.

The survey showed that people were concerned about flights coming in from China. Currently, flights from mainland China to India are routed via other countries while direct flights run from Hong Kong to India. Seven in 10 Indians were in favour of restricting flights from China and Hong Kong and ensuring that all arriving passengers, who have been in China in the last two weeks, are tested for Covid and, if positive, kept under mandatory quarantine, the results showed.

The survey was conducted to understand mask compliance at airports and if masks should be made mandatory again at airports and on flights. As the results showed, 87 percent said there was little or no mask compliance on flights and at airports in the last 90 days. The responses also indicated that only 7 percent travellers rated mask compliance on flights and at airports as effective while less than 30 percent were wearing masks.

The survey asked questions on common experience regarding mask mandate and compliance for travellers, who had taken flights in the last 90 days. Other questions asked were if travellers were in favour of mandatory masking and Covid testing of the international passengers at the airport. It also asked questions on the kind of measures India should take to minimise Covid risk.

What is the situation in China

Barely two weeks after the Chinese government issued new guidelines easing some of its strict zero-Covid policies like testing requirements, quarantine in hospitals for those tested positive and travel restrictions, researchers’ fears of a resurgence​​ have been realised. Unlike in the first wave in late 2019 and early 2020, when the surge was limited to some parts of China, it appears to be nationwide this time.

Some global epidemiologists are estimating that more than 60 percent of China and 10 percent of the world’s population are likely to be infected over the next 90 days with deaths likely to be in the millions.

China has not reported a single Covid death since the authorities announced four deaths between November 19 and 23. Ground reports from China, however, show an extremely difficult situation with no hospital beds available, long waits at crematoriums with a Bloomberg report estimating 5,000 daily deaths in the country.

The sudden rise in the number of people infected by Covid in China just ahead of year-end festivities has, particularly, led many countries to re-evaluate the situation back home and mull how to prevent another pandemic-like situation or even panic.

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