CORONAVIRUS. What You Need to Know Now
AIRPORT VOICE, MARCH 2020 35
Following are news clips about airline
cancellations, modified schedules,
website information, international
travel information, and how the
CDC and CBP are working with the
Governor’s and President’s offices to
control the spread and provide safety
for travelers.
Important Preventative
Actions
The coronavirus is a respiratory
illness that can lead to pneumonia. It
has similar symptoms to a cold or flu.
This virus is spread in large droplets
by coughing and sneezing. This
means that the air will not infect
you! The virus is on surfaces and you
will not be infected unless your unprotected
face is directly coughed or
sneezed upon. This virus only has cell
receptors for lung cells (it only infects
your lungs) The only way for the virus
to infect you is through your nose or
mouth via your hands or an infected
cough or sneeze onto or into your nose
or mouth.
The use of masks is only to prevent
you from your nose and/or mouth (We
touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without
knowing it!). This is the only way
this virus can infect you - it is lungspecific.
The mask will not prevent
the virus in a direct sneeze from getting
into your nose or mouth - it is
only to keep you from touching your
nose or mouth.
1) Instead of handshaking, use a
fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump,
etc.
2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch
light switches. elevator buttons, etc..
Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper
towel or use a disposable glove.
3) Open doors with your closed fist
or hip - do not grasp the handle with
your hand, unless there is no other
way to open the door. Especially important
on bathroom and post office/
commercial doors.
4) Use disinfectant wipes at the
stores when they are available, including
wiping the handle and child
seat in grocery carts.
5) Wash your hands with soap for
10-20 seconds and/or use a greater
than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer
whenever you return home from
ANY activity that involves locations
where other people have been.
6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available
at each of your home’s entrances.
AND in your car for use after getting
gas or touching other contaminated
objects when you can’t immediately
wash your hands.
7) If possible, cough or sneeze into
a disposable tissue and discard. Use
your elbow only if you have to.
CDC and CBP Actions
At JFK and Newark airports, two
of the 11 nationwide airports taking
China incoming flights, CDC perssonnel
are are at the aircraft inspecting
passengers, asking questions, taking
temperatures, directinjg some to
secondary screenings, sending some
to area quarantine faciities, and relassing
other who are totally free of
symptons. These passengers are not
allowed to enter the Customs Border
Protection area until cleared by the
CDC.
Airline Actions
China Air is quarantining all crew
14 days in advance of a flight.
-American Airlines said it is suspending
Milan flights through April
24. It is waiving change fees on all
newly purchased tickets.
-Delta announced as of March 1,
it is temporarily suspending daily
flights between New York’s JFK’ Airport
and Milan’s Malpensa Airport
and will resume May 1.
Both AA and Delta Both said travelers
with tickets to Milan this spring
will be given several options, including
a refund or re-booking.
-Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines
has announced today that it has temporarily
canceled all flights to Italy
due to the coronavirus outbreak taking
immediate effect.
-Alitalia will be running only one
flight a day out of Israel, instead of its
usual four beginning March 2. Italy
is a popular transfer point for Israelis
via Rome on Alitalia enroute popular
to getting to North America.
-Wizz Air has cut similar flights
that tend to this Israeli market.
-JetBlue is suspending cancel fees
for new reservations to give customers
booking confidence as Coronavirus
concerns evolve. here Are No Current
Travel Restrictions in JetBlue’s
Network,
-Alaska Airlines said it will not
charge change and cancellation fees
for the next two weeks.
-Cathay Pacific has reduced the
daily flights to China from four to one
a day from JFK.
United, has cut flights to Asia and
suspended service to mainland China
and Hong Kong through April 30.
Important website for
updated information
-Center for Disease Control (CDC):
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/
2019-ncov/index.html
-National Institute of Health
(NIH): https://www.nih.gov/healthinformation/
coronavirus
-NYC Department of health:
ht tps://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/
health/health-topics/coronavirus.
page
-For a list of airlines with international
flights that ar cencelling
or modifying their flights toChina,
toto: https://www.reuters.com/article/
us-china-health-airlines-factbox/
factbox-airlines-suspend-flights-dueto
coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKCN20M313
-IATA link to Government Measures
Related to Coronavirus (COVID
19)
ht tps://www.iata.org/en/programs/
safety/health/diseases/government
measures-related-to-coronavirus/#__
prclt=HAMRuIeM
-World Health Organization
(WHO) website. https://www.who.int/
emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus
2019
The WHO has not called for restrictions
on travel or trade.
-U.S. State Department Notifications:
https://travel.state.gov/content/
travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/
novel-coronavirus-hubei-province-
-china.html
Government Actions
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced
a new push to make the nowin
the-works coronavirus vaccination
fully covered by Medicare so seniors
who want it and need it the most do
not have to choose between shelling
out and going without. On March 4,
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman
of the Subcommittee on Aviation and
Space, will convene a hearing titled,
“From SARS to Coronavirus: Examining
the Role of Global Aviation in
Containing the Spread of Infectious
Disease,” at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
March 4, 2020.
Industry Comments
CEO of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac,
said: “These are challenging times
for the global air transport industry.
Stopping the spread of the virus is
the top priority. Airlines are following
the guidance of the World Health
Organization (WHO) and other public
health authorities to keep passengers
safe, the world connected and the virus
contained. “The sharp downturn
in demand as a result of COVID-19 will
have a financial impact on airlines –
severe for those particularly exposed
to the China market. We estimate that
global traffic will be reduced by 4.7 per
cent by the virus, That scenario would
translate into lost passenger revenues
of $29.3 billion.
Potential Vaccines
A tested and effective vaccine is being
developed by several firms across
the world. A vaccine for distribution
in the U.S.is about a year away due to
testing and FDA approval.
Farmingdale NY-based Codagenix
now partnering with the Serum
Institute of India, could have
trial vaccines ready for safety testing
on human volunteers by May,
an executive said. Codagenix, Inc.,
a clinical-stage biotechnology company
developing prophylactic vaccines
and oncolytic virus therapies.
There are no licensed vaccines or
therapeutics for this novel coronavirus,
now referred to as COVID-19.
Gilead Sciences Initiates Two Phase
3 Studies of Investigational Antiviral
Remdesivir for the Treatment of
COVID-19.-U.S. FDA grants investigational
new drug authorization to
study remdesivir for the treatment
of Covid-19
Continued from page 1
Women talk STEM
Cradle of Aviation Panel
Garden City, N.Y. February 24,
2020 – On Monday, March 9th from
10:00am-12:00pm, the Cradle of Aviation
Museum will be holding a
special panel presentation featuring
women in the Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) fields in honor of Women’s
History Month. Headlining the
event is Engineer and NASA Astronaut,
Stephanie Wilson. Wilson
is the second African American
woman to go into space, following
Mae Jemison. She was the voice of
Mission Control, on the historic allfemale
spacewalk with Astronauts
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir in
October 2019. Her 42 days in space
over three spaceflights is the longest
of any African American Astronaut.
Other speakers include Dr.
Ashley Podhradsky, founder of
CybHER. Lorna Christian, FAA
and Safety Inspector, and Linea
Vega, Senior Program Manager,
Telehealth Services at Northwell
Health.
The event, designed specifically
for 250 high school and middle
school girls, aims to encourage
young female students to overcome
obstacles to achieve success, providing
the opportunity to connect
academics to real-world careers,
and fostering a connection with
role models in the STEM fields.
Each panelist will be discussing
their specific career field, how they
got there, and what sparked interest
in their profession.
While STEM careers are growing
rapidly, African American,
Latinx and other women of color
remain underrepresented in STEM
Fields. * The annual Women in
STEM Panel provides an opportunity
for the museum’s school partnerships
and young ladies across
Long Island a platform to ask questions
and hear from successful
women in STEM industries.
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