All Manchester airport passengers must wear a mask and gloves from today and will have temperature checked
PASSENGERS at Manchester Airport will be told to wear gloves and face masks from today in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Bosses are also trialling a new heat-seeking camera in Terminal One security, which will scan for signs of the deadly disease.
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It is understood Manchester is the first airport in the country to ask passengers to cover their faces after others introduced thermal camera testing, reports.
They said face coverings can include masks, scarves or any other makeshift methods using clothing.
Staff will also be wearing gloves and masks - with the hope other airports will follow their lead if successful.
Bosses are also debating whether to ask passengers to make a health declaration before entering its airports.
The measures will be brought in at all three of the group's airports - including Stansted and East Midlands.
FUTURE OF TRAVEL
Chiefs say the rule is designed to "demonstrate one way which air travel can be made safe as passenger numbers start to grow again in the future".
Passengers are being urged to bring their own gloves and face coverings when they travel but the airport will provide masks in the early stages of the testing.
A spokesperson said: "MAG believes that the new guidelines represent a first step towards demonstrating ways in which air travel can be safe when more passengers start travelling again.
"At present, with few flights and passengers at the airport, social distancing is practised in Manchester Airport’s terminal and the new guidelines will not change that."
Heathrow yesterday announced it will trial coronavirus screening - with thermal cameras checking passengers for the deadly disease.
The airport is also looking to introduce contactless security measures and UV technology to ensure travellers are safe.
BORDER FARCE
It comes after the boss of Gatwick Airport said travellers should be made to take coronavirus tests 48 hours before take off once lockdown ends.
The terminal’s chief executive also called for passengers to carry “health passports” to prove they have the all-clear and wear face covers while on flights.
Similar compulsory measures are already being considered elsewhere in Europe after the deadly outbreak crippled global travel.
Matt Hancock revealed last month at least 15,000 people a day are flying into the UK without health checks.
The Health Secretary said the equivalent of 105,000 passengers a week were entering the UK from countries including those with serious coronavirus outbreaks - including the US, China, Spain and Italy.
The government has come under fire over its failure to impose health checks or an isolation period for people arriving at UK airports.
But ministers insists routine health screening for all passengers on arrival would do nothing to halt the spread of the disease because of the scale of the outbreak in the UK.
'TOP PRIORITY'
Pressure has also been mounting on airports to introduce social distancing amid the pandemic but bosses have claimed this is not possible and said it would lead to 1km queues.
They instead hope that introducing health-screening will be enough to stop the virus spreading.
Charlie Cornish, Group CEO, MAG, said: "It’s clear that social distancing will not work on any form of public transport. But we’re confident that when the time is right, people will be able to travel safely.
"MAG has worked with the rest of the airport industry on a new safety framework for travel. We now need the Government to work urgently with us to agree how we operate in the future.
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"This has to be a top priority so that people can be confident about flying, and to get tourism and travel going again.
"At MAG, we’ve taken expert medical advice on how people can travel safely, and we’re pleased to be piloting these new measures at our airports for those passengers who do still need to travel.
"We expect to be able to agree a new framework by the end of May that will support a restart of the industry as soon as possible."
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