Federal agencies issue joint safety guidance for air travel in the era of COVID-19

Last week, the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation (DOT) and Health and Human Services (HHS) issued joint guidance for the air travel industry, meant to provide a framework for airlines and airports operating amidst a global pandemic.

COVID-19 has spawned more than 11.4 million cases worldwide and, with the United States still leading the world in case counts, resulted in the barring or mandatory quarantine of U.S. travelers to many countries. The federal guidance, Runway to Recovery, also laid out a foundation for executing public health measures that could minimize the risks of transmission therein.

“As we reopen the economy under President Trump’s Opening Up America Again guidelines, we are taking aggressive measures to protect the American people from COVID-19 as they reengage their travel plans,” Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. said. “Air travel is critical to our economic recovery, and DHS has been working closely with our partners in the aviation industry throughout every step of our response to this pandemic to ensure that we are facilitating travel in a safe and secure manner.”

If their recommendations were followed to the letter, the guidelines would lead to the implementation of barriers to disease transmission, an increase of social distancing measures, minimizing points of contact between people and surfaces, increased cleanliness to all areas with potential for human contact, contact mechanisms for international passengers exposed to COVID-19 and specialized training for aviation workers, among others.

These measures would affect no one part of the aviation industry, but rather push aggressive action at all stages of flight. The Transportation Security Administration has already implemented some of these guidelines.