Staying safe at the airport
As more countries open their borders this summer, what can be done to improve the safety of airports from a cleaning and hygiene perspective? Stuart Hands from Tork manufacturer Essity investigates.
The world is slowly opening up. People are taking their first few tentative steps back into those facilities we once took for granted, like shops, restaurants, bars and museums.
Now that we have reached the height of the summer, many of us are attempting to salvage that longed-for and much needed annual holiday.
The picture is similar the world over. Everyone is now keen to get away after months spent locked down in their own homes. This is hardly an ideal situation in a world where ‘social distancing’ has become the new norm.
Airports are the starting point for most people’s foreign travels, but the potential for cross-contamination is huge in a facility that’s crammed with people from all four corners of the earth awaiting flights in shops, bars and restaurants. Social distancing is now in place at airports but passengers are still at risk when sharing the same spaces and touching the same surfaces.
Many airports are making face coverings compulsory and introducing floor markings and signs to help passengers to socially distance. Hand sanitiser dispensers are now supplied for the use of passengers and all high-touch surfaces are being cleaned more frequently. Heathrow, for example, has installed more than 600 hand sanitiser dispensers in all areas of its terminal buildings, including in the security entrance areas, toilets and main concourses.
Passengers are also being urged to use online check-in facilities and automatic baggage drops where possible, in order to reduce the need for human interactions.
Some airports are going still further. For example, Delhi International Airport has a disinfection system to clean checkpoint trays and baggage. The airport is also introducing walk-in shoe sanitiser mats and is using a
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mobile UV tower in the terminal in order to clean and disinfect all surfaces.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh airport has deployed sanitising robots to constantly clean the floors, and Hong Kong claims to be the first airport in the world to trial a full-body disinfection booth. This has an antimicrobial coating said to kill any viruses and bacteria on the passenger’s clothing or person within 40 seconds.
Montreal Airport is now asking passengers to sign up online for a security time slot to reduce the risk of long queues and overcrowding at checkpoints.
These measures are mainly designed to make airports safer for passengers when checking in, collecting and dropping off baggage, passing through security and going to gate. However, shopping and dining are both popular pastimes at airports while also being a lucrative revenue stream for the operator.
Dubai International Airport has responded by offering a new concierge service at its duty free shops. This allows passengers to choose their products remotely and have their items delivered to their seat, ensuring a minimum level of staff interaction.
Not everyone chooses to eat, drink or shop while waiting for their flight – particularly if they are nervous about becoming infected. However, many will want to visit the washroom, particularly now that lavatory access onboard is being restricted by some airlines in a bid to aid social distancing.
Washroom use should be facilitated since it provides a crucial hand hygiene opportunity for those who are eating and drinking. However, flights could be missed and passengers could be left in discomfort if there are long queues for the facilities.
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