Is it safe to eat on the plane amid Covid-19 pandemic?

(Representative Image. Source: Reuters)

The recent ban by the Thailand government on serving, or consuming, food and beverage on flights has reignited the debate on whether governments around the world, including in India, should do the same.

It is a tricky issue. While airlines are pushing for travel to normalise as fast as possible to recover from the huge dent made by COVID-19, governments need to take a call on the safety of passengers amid a new strain of the virus re-igniting concerns.

The concerns are not without reason.

India suspended flights from the UK in December. And despite measures to ensure passengers had tested negative for the virus before boarding  - for flights before the suspension came into effect - about 20 people tested positive for the new virus strain, on arrival in India. That some of these positive travellers managed to slip through and reached their hometown before being detained again, underlined the risk involved.

"While modern aircraft cabin air circulation and HEPA filtration systems are safe  - they will not re-circulate viruses - these cannot protect against someone directly breathing or ingesting infected air from someone having a glass of wine in the next seat. The risk arises when masks are off, as happens during meal service," says Sanjiv Kapoor, the former COO of SpiceJet and former CSCO at Vistara, who has been advocating Indian authorities to take a similar action like the counterparts in Thailand.

The South-East Asian nation had lifted the ban on eating and drinking onboard a flight in September but brought it back after a recent surge in COVID-19 numbers. The ban, which came into effect from December 31, is effective for all flights under two hours.

That the issue is relevant worldwide was reflected when a tweet from Kapoor immediately struck a chord with fellow users of Twitter. "Having food is a big excuse. People (who) use it tend not to wear masks for a long time on this pretext. Some may even say- after food, wearing masks makes it difficult to breathe. Not sure if that’s true," said a Twitterati names Vipul.

A senior pilot at a private airline confirmed to Moneycontrol of increasing instances where crew has been forced to tell travelers to put on their masks while on-board. "Some agree to put it back, but there are few who are tougher to convince," he said.

While airlines and airports have been strict about following protocols, including ensuring social distance and wearing masks, it becomes tougher to enforce the same on-board, especially when food is being served.

"It's a glaring loophole and nullifies all of the other safety measures such as touch-less travel, masks, and shields," says Kapoor.

The Indian government had in August allowed airlines to serve packed food on-board. Flights on international routes could also serve hot food and alcohol.

What experts say

Dr T Jacob John, retired Professor and Head, departments of clinical virology and microbiology, Christian Medical College (Vellore), calls COVID-19 a 'stealthy culprit.'

"While the influenza virus spreads when one coughs or sneezes, the coronavirus can spread even when one just breathes out. The moment you take out your mask, you are at risk of infecting or being infected," Dr John told Moneycontrol.

Regarded as one of the finest scientific minds in the country, the former  Director of ICMR’s Centre of Advanced Research in Virology, recounted how during a recent wedding reception, he had his wife had their masks on through the night. "We had to go for it as the family was close to us. We greeted them from a distance, didn't go up to the couple to greet them, and opened the packaged food only once we were back home. We didn't take off our masks the whole time," said Dr John.

"Rather than banning flights, the government should put strict rules to ensure masks are worn," he said.

There is no indication, however, of the administration or the airlines taking note. "That is because the airlines are conflicted. They want to create a narrative that flying is normal and safe," said a senior executive from the industry. Another executive from a private airline admitted that there is no discussion on the topic at the moment.

Some wonder if the guard is down as the number of reported infected cases has been on the decline in India. "While the vaccine rollout will happen soon, it will be a while before it reaches everyone. One has to be careful at least till then," said the senior executive quoted above.

At the same time, not everyone is convinced that a ban is necessary. "In my opinion, a ban will be an overkill," says Prof Arnab Bhattacharya, a scientist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Prof Bhattacharya was part of a team from TIFR that had developed "India's first low-cost testing equipment" to check the efficacy of a mask.

"Aircraft have good air filtering systems. If one is hungry, there is no harm in taking off the mask for five minutes," says Prof Bhattacharya. But he notes: "What is more riskier is the callousness with which we Indians wear a mask. We don't cover properly or keep touching the mask's exterior. That fails the purpose," says the scientist, who also points out to the increasing number of people not wearing a mask.

"If one is highly susceptible to infection, don't eat!" says Prof Bhattacharya.

It's an advice that may well be heeded in the hospitality sector. Reports say  that 20 staff members of Hotel Leela Palace in Chennai have tested positive for COVID-19. Two days ago, the ITC hotel in the city reported that 85 of its employees were infected.

Ajay Awtaney, editor of aviation website LiveFromALounge, recently tweeted pictures of guests at a prominent hotel chain not wearing masks at a buffet.

Dear residents of the @JWMussoorie who checked in today and were all over the evening buffet, I requested you,I rebuked you, I offered your party a mask amongst other measures, but what the hell is your ignorance? #Covid_19@sachinmyl@MBonvoyAssistpic.twitter.com/BqXjdVRruc

— Ajay Awtaney (@LiveFromALounge) January 2, 2021

"It's a known fact that infected persons are flying, even if they themselves don't know it. The number of Air India flight banned at Hong Kong and Dubai after post-flight testing prove this, as does the number of cases caught from the UK in recent days upon arrival...these are not ordinary times, and therefore calls for extraordinary measures," he says.

One measure, say studies, would be doing away with cabin service but let passengers bring their own food. This, says a Harvard study, will automatically ensure all passengers won't eat at the same time, and the removal of masks will be staggered.

The question though is, are governments and airlines up for it?