Garuda Indonesia Crew Will Wear Face Shields Instead Of Masks On Flights
Face masks are now considered necessities that must be worn outdoors and on flights.
However, following complaints from passengers, Malay Mail reports that Indonesia’s flagship airline Garuda Indonesia will instead have their flight attendants wear face shields. The reason?
Passengers can’t tell if their attendant is smiling or frowning.
Garuda attendants will gradually wear face shields
At a webinar, Garuda CEO Irfan Setiaputra said that the complaints came about due to passengers not being able to see the expressions of flight attendants.
He elaborated that the airline doesn’t want passengers to feel as though they were entering an intensive-care unit (ICU).
Therefore, they’ll gradually have attendants wear face shields. At the moment, they’re still required to wear face masks.
Garuda has various precautions for flights, such as health checks on crew members and a Covid-19 swab test for all passengers.
Regardless, face masks are important to prevent infection, especially for those who may be asymptomatic.
Face shields may not be as effective as masks
There is also some concern over whether face shields can prevent infection as well as face masks.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), face masks are still mandatory as they stop most droplets from reaching others.
Meanwhile, a gap still exists between a face shield and one’s face.
Safety should be a top priority
The first priority should always be safety, especially during these times. Having some form of facial protection beats having none.
Whatever the choice, we hope that it keeps all passengers safe, as the last thing we’d want is for the Covid-19 virus to spread unchecked all over again.
Featured image adapted from Tourism Indonesia.
