Omicron doubles the risk of coronavirus infection on an airplane

David Powell, former chief physician of Air New Zealand Ltd., medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), spoke about this in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday.

“Whatever the risk with the delta, we expect the risk to be two to three times higher because of Omicron”, - Powell said.

He also shared tips on how to reduce the likelihood of infection on board. Powell emphasized that the safety level is higher in the business class than in the economy class. This is due to the distance between the seats. The expert recommends not touching surfaces that others often touch, avoid contact with passengers, use an antiseptic and a mask. He advised not to take off the mask at the same time as those sitting next to you while eating.

Powell noted that flying in an airplane is considered safer than visiting crowded places such as pubs and gyms.

Earlier it was reported that the mutated covid strain "Omicron", first discovered in November this year in South Africa, has already spread to 106 countries around the world.