Caution was thrown to winds as carriers continued to operate across the country carrying hundreds in the midst of worsening Corona crisis. Good sense finally prevailed as all domestic flights too were grounded
The incident of a pilot disembarking from the cockpit of an Air Asia flight I5-732 Pune to New Delhi on March 20-2020, instead of taking the step ladder showed the risk to which airlines crew was exposed to in the times of Novel #Corona virus.
The 5pm din on Sunday did manage to uplift the spirits of people in time of Corona but the truth of the Janata Curfew, called by none other than the Prime Minister, was that thousands of people moved in cities and in between cities too. The domestic flight operations on Sunday were marginally curtailed by airlines, and hundreds of passengers moved in out of airports.
Lockdown?
It was business as usual for the airports.
It is unfathomable as to why it took the government so long to shut airports even though city after city was being locked down. In Maharashtra, the three major cities, Pune, Nagpur and state capital Mumbai have been locked down, with Nagpur being the first one. But it was business as usual for the airports. Pictures of empty departure and arrival terminals went viral over the past week, but they missed out on upwards of 500 airline and security personnels working there, who man the counters and entry and exit points. The airports were exposing hundreds of them to dangers of getting infected by the moving crowds being flown in and out. Worst still was the fact that though the hard work and services of those working in the medical sphere are rightly being lauded, nobody was talking about the risks those working on airports and for airlines were putting themselves into.
Social distancing but how?
The DGCA circular contained only cursory directions for precautionary actions
The DGCA guideline, issued on Monday was a no brainer. The advice to maintain distance was impractical. CISF has to physically frisk passengers before they enter the Security Hold Area. If the lines of passengers at check-in counters are asked to maintain a one-meter distance, the queues will spill out of the terminal buildings. DGCA would have been hard pressed to show the cabin crew how they can practice #socialdistancing in aircraft aisles, while providing in-flight services.
Laxities and the callous behavior putting communities to risk.
Quarantine proved futile as persons with stamping travelled onwards by air or train
For any lockdown to be effective it is imperative that all movement from the city and into it be stopped. Corona virus got into India through inbound passengers flying in from different parts of the world. Putting them in quarantine has proved futile as there are many cases where persons with stamping travelled onwards by air or train. These laxities and the callous behavior was putting entire communities to risk.
After the health workers, if there is anybody who is exposed to high risks of getting infected, it is those working with airlines and on airports. The cabin crew gets layovers in different cities that requires them to spend nights in hotels where they come in contact with hundreds of people. The most effective way of breaking the chain of infection is by shutting down bus, railway and air services so that people stay put in one place. For reasons beyond understanding the government continued to dither on the issue of putting curbs on air travel.
Fear of grounding the fleet
Losses for the already floundering aviation industry are mind boggling
For airlines operators the fear of grounding their fleet is real as the losses for the already floundering aviation industry are mind boggling. The insecurities pervading the operators and staff are real. But then so is the need to stop flying people who may be infected or may get infected if this churn of incoming and outgoing passengers had continued any longer than it had.
As India stares at an imminent explosion in number of COVID19 cases, it is sheer prudence to keep the fleet of aircraft on the ground.
But what also is required is to test all those working at airports to ensure that they are hopefully free of the virus.
Comments