CORONAVIRUS/Flight crews required to wear protective gear: CECC

Taipei, March 28 (CNA) All flight crews will be provided with protective gear from April 1 to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Saturday.

The crews will have to wear surgical masks, goggles, protective clothing and gloves -- the same equipment given to medical personnel -- according to Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC.

Chen said the CECC will also come up with guidelines for passengers, who will be punished if they break the rules.

Currently, passengers can bring their own protective gear, including alcohol hand sanitizers of no more than 100 milliliters, the CECC said, cautioning that they cannot change seats without notifying the flight attendants.

Coronavirus controls for flight crews have raised attention as there have already been cabin crew and pilots of Taiwanese airlines who have contracted the disease.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced the previous day that flight crews working on long-haul passenger flights that require them to enter a foreign country to rest will be subject to five days of home quarantine after returning to Taiwan, while the home quarantine period for cargo flights will be three days.

Prior to the announcement, flight crews of domestic airlines were exempt from the requirement that all people entering Taiwan from abroad were required to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.