International and Domestic Flights Safety Protocols for Passengers

Domestic and international flights protocols for travelers. The following important points are published by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia will help staff, travelers, and crew members to provide safe travel.

Domestic and international Precautionary Flights Protocols

• Maintain the recommended social distance [for a distance of one and a half meters at least] between passengers at all times, and consider allocating some seats (such as the last three rows) as a stone area to deal with potential emergencies during the flight.
• Families to sit together and book seats in advance.
• Meals to be served during flights.
• Allow air sales/duty-free on the plane.
• Apply standard cleaning and disinfection procedures (passenger compartment after each flight).
• Sanitizing the toilets after each use and providing disposable sanitary seat covers.
• Remove all printed copies, magazines except for the vomiting bag to be replaced on every trip.
• The prayer place closed in the aircraft if any.
• It is preferable to have an isolation place for the suspected case.

Domestic and international flights protocols for travellers

Passengers

• Providing personal hygiene items (such as wet wipes, hygienic sheets, face masks made of fabric and sterilizers) for each passenger.
• All passengers required to wear face masks before boarding the flight at all times during the flight.
• Establish appropriate legislation for travellers who have a high temperature or respiratory symptoms from exiting the airport or plane and take their data and report them immediately to the epidemiological control centre or by calling 937 to find out the directions required to transfer the case to the hospital.

The crew of the plane

• Crew members must disinfect their hands before providing services to passengers.
• All crew members should wear gloves, medical or cloth masks. Or whatever covers the nose and mouth at all times while working. And avoid touching the mouth, nose, and eyes while wearing gloves.
• Cases reported to authorities about the staff and cabin crew who have a high fever or respiratory symptoms (coughing or shortness of breath). And suspected individuals of having Covid-19 disease according to the criteria approved in the guidelines. Record data and case contact numbers and contact immediately at The epidemiological observation centre. Or at the airport or on the number 937 to know the directions required to transfer the case to the hospital.
• Follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health regarding those coming from outside the Kingdom.

Tracking and reporting

• Prepare a detailed daily record of the employees ’previous travel trips and health status. Including the list of employees in quarantine.
• Prepare a list of employees working together, their working hours, and dates. It is best to install the cabin crew and reduce the switch between them as much as possible.
• Classifying health risks by conducting household surveys [you can find them on the Ministry of Health official website].
• Follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health and related parties about COVID 19 disease before allowing any employee to resume work (including staff returning from travel).
• Ensure that the temperature test is conducted and inform the concerned authorities of any cases with a temperature greater than [38 ° C] for one of the employees, passengers or crew members, and isolate the case until it is referred to the health care facility.
• Any employee to self-isolate in the event that any of the symptoms of Covid-19 appears. In the event of a positive infection with Covid-19 disease, the Ministry of Health should be notified immediately. And follow the directions of the Ministry of Health regarding testing, tracing, and isolation of suspected cases.
• In the event of a suspected case on one of the upcoming international or domestic trips. The case must be isolated if possible, and to ensure that the masks are worn by the case, passengers and aircraft. And to coordinate in advance with airport staff and epidemiological monitoring centre staff in order to complete the arrival procedures and take the necessary precautions by the employees Dealing with the condition as directed in the COVID 19 guide.

Communication and implementation

• Demonstrate disinfection best practices on screens in aircraft and in lounges (e.g. disinfection of passenger seats, and the toilet before and after use).
• Banning paper magazines and newspapers on the plane.
• Using digital channels (such as social media, phone applications, and text messages), and other channels (such as: placing posters inside the plane and at stations) to raise awareness among employees, passengers, and crew members about Covid-19 disease in line with the directives of the Ministry of Health.
• Assigning managers to the protocols to ensure that the protocols issued by the competent authorities are followed.
• Instruct clients and employees personally to provide directions on cleansing their hands before and after using shared facilities.
• Conduct mandatory health and safety training on Covid-19 disease for all staff and crew members.

Source: https://covid19awareness.sa/archives/5460