Chinese air stewards asked to wear NAPPIES to stop Covid spread by not using plane toilets
CHINESE cabin crew are being asked to wear NAPPIES to help stop Covid spreading on "high-risk" flights.
Concerned air chiefs in Beijing want flight attendants to be issued with disposable diapers to stop them using airplane bathrooms.
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The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) makes the bizarre recommendation for flights to and from countries where the rate of infection is higher than 500 people per million.
In its newly updated list of Covid guidelines, the CAAC says: “It’s recommended that cabin crew wear disposable diapers and avoid using the lavatory unless in special circumstances to reduce the risk of infection.”
The unusual advice is given in a section covering the wearing of personal protective equipment while on board,
Bathroom safety on passenger jets has been under the microscope since the start of the pandemic.
In June, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) suggested toilet use should be restricted and passengers and crew should use separate bathrooms.
Some airlines have even begun implementing inventive new measures to decrease the risk of the virus spreading in bathrooms.
Japanese airline ANA announced it was now testing a new hands-free bathroom door, CNN reported.
And Boeing successfully secured a patent on a self-cleaning bathroom that would use UV light to clean 99.9 percent of germs after every use.
The new advice from China says crew should also wear "medical masks, double-layer disposable medical gloves, goggles, disposable hats, disposable protective clothing, and disposable shoe covers."
Other recommendations include dividing the cabin into “clean area, buffer zone, passenger sitting area and quarantine area,” separated by disposable curtains.
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The three rows at the back of the plane should be used as an "emergency quarantine" zone, according to the new guidance.
Travel from the UK to China is tricky after Beijing announced the temporary suspension of entry by non-Chinese nationals in the UK holding Chinese visas or residence permits.
Brits can still apply for a visa in "an emergency" but must clear certain health demands 48 hours before travel.