Ep. 23: How to Fly During COVID-19
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Travel restrictions are easing for some countries, and some of us are considering air travel. So what special considerations should you take the next time you find yourself on a plane? How can you mitigate infection risk when flying? To investigate, guest host Dr. Aisha Khatib, the clinical director of travel medicine at Medcan, interviews Dr. Vincent Poirier, a medical advisor to both Air Canada and Air Transat and an assistant professor at the McGill University medical school. (Dr. Vincent Poirier is the one pictured below in the Mekong Delta, and Dr. Aisha Khatib is the one pictured below in a small aircraft.)
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Visit Dr. Aisha Khatib on Twitter at @aishakhatib.
Dr. Aisha Khatib is doing a webinar on how to travel safely by air, and taking questions from registered attendees, on Tuesday, July 21, at 12:30 p.m. The registration link is https://bit.ly/medcan_howtofly.
Please subscribe and rate us on your favourite podcast platform. Eat Move Think host Shaun Francis is Medcan’s CEO and chair. Follow him on Twitter @shauncfrancis. Connect with him on LinkedIn. And follow him on Instagram @shauncfrancis. Eat Move Think is produced by Ghost Bureau.
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Eat Move Think S01E23 - How To Fly In The Age Of COVID final web transcript
Christopher Shulgan
Remember what air travel was like before the coronavirus? Those times seem so innocent. With travel restrictions to some countries easing, some of us are starting to think about what it would be like to go somewhere else. Somewhere distant. Somewhere that requires a trip on an airplane.
Chris
I’m Christopher Shulgan, the executive producer of Eat Move Think. And during the ongoing pandemic, heading onto an airplane along with several hundred other people comes with its own set of risks. That’s why we invited on to guest host the show Dr. Aisha Khatib. She’s a physician and the clinical director of travel medicine at Medcan, the wellness inspiration company. And she also works as a medical assessor at the COVID-19 assessment centre at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto. In this episode she has a conversation with Dr. Vincent Poirier, a senior medical advisor to Air Canada, a medical consultant for Air Transat, and an emergency room physician in Montreal. Dr. Poirier also taught Dr. Khatib during her medical training at McGill medical school.
Chris
And in this episode, the two physicians have a detailed and informative conversation that packs a tremendous amount of informed advice through the context of a single airplane trip, from the time you buy your tickets to the period after you arrive at your destination. Here is their conversation.
Aisha Khatib
Dr. Vincent Poirier, welcome to Eat Move Think.
Vincent Poirier
Thank you.
Aisha Khatib
So today, we're going to be talking a little bit about travel restrictions related to COVID, and the future of air travel. So we know back about two months ago, that 100 percent of destinations worldwide had some sort of travel restriction. And according to the World Tourism Organization, momentarily, that 22 percent of destinations worldwide have started to ease these restrictions. But at the same time, about 65 percent of destinations worldwide continue to have their borders completely closed to international tourism. So we know that a lot of these destinations are maintaining a cautious approach to lifting or easing restrictions, and currently non-essential travel isn't permitted. But given that these restrictions are slowly starting to ease now, and we are seeing more people travelling internationally as well as within Canada, we wanted to have a little bit of a closer look at what the future of air travel would look like. Dr. Poirier, let's get into basically looking at, you know, from the beginning to end, what would the considerations be for somebody who would want to travel? And let's start from the beginning with the decision to fly during the pandemic right now. What would entail making that decision in the first place?
Vincent Poirier
Well, I think these days you don't want just to fly for fun. I think if you need to fly it's because there is—you have a little goal. And I think the goal should be either if, let's say, there is an emergency. Let's say there's an emergency in your family, there is a death, you need to travel really fast from—let's say, from BC to Montreal. That would be, let's say, one of the reasons. Or maybe you—there is a medical treatment you need to get because you live in a little remote community, and you need to go in a big centre. Or maybe also you need to return back home because you were stuck since March outside Canada. But I would say right now it's not the time to go for fun on the beach of Florida and trying to go and party with people there.
Aisha Khatib
So Dr. Poirier, I mean, you work in the field. You work at the airports, you're on the planes, you've seen it. What—kind of starting from the beginning, what would you advise to somebody who is planning on taking a flight? Like, what pre-travel tips would you recommend, even before getting to the airport?
Vincent Poirier
Well, first is going to be the booking. When you book your ticket, the first thing would be to call the airline and see what's the requirement from the airline. They might have special health requirements. You might have to answer a questionnaire. They might tell you to wear a mask before arriving to the airport. So that's quite important.
Aisha Khatib
What are some of the measures being put in place to really minimize contact when you get to the airport?
Vincent Poirier
So when you get to the airport, there will be the check-in kiosk. Well first of all, like, when you enter the airport, there will be a requirement to wear a mask. Now all airports in Canada you need to wear a mask. And also it's only you that can enter the airport. You cannot enter the airport with the whole family. You know, we used to do that. Now they will have to leave you outside. They have to stay outside the airport, and then you're going to be alone inside the airport.
Aisha Khatib
Dr. Poirier, you haven't met my family. [laughs]
Vincent Poirier
[laughs] Well, they will have to learn that now with COVID area, things will change. And then you're going to arrive at those kiosks. So you want maybe to avoid going at a check-in counter, because you want to avoid maybe contact with the check-in agent. So use the kiosk. Or if you don't want to use the kiosk, you can also print your boarding card at home before that, so you can do everything at home. Or when you get to the airport you go to a kiosk, you just put your passport, you print your boarding card. You can print also your luggage tag as well. And then you just have to drop your luggage on the little machine and then you're fit to go. But again, I would also wash your hands. You know, every time you touch a kiosk or something, make sure you have some little hand sanitizer or hand wipes. And then you clean your hands carefully, because other people were there before you on that kiosk.
Aisha Khatib
Yeah. And I know that Air Canada—or sorry, Pearson airport, for example, is looking at, like contactless touch stations, and they're looking at the technology related to that. But also, I mean, you can do online check-in before coming to the airport at home, which would minimize contacts. And that way you don't even have to print the paper. You can have it on your phone.
Vincent Poirier
Yeah.
Aisha Khatib
How about getting tested before flying? Is that something that we should be considering before we take a flight?
Vincent Poirier
You mean testing for COVID?
Aisha Khatib
Yes.
Vincent Poirier
Well, you don't have to. However, you must look at the requirement from the country where you're going to. Some countries will want you to be tested within the last 72 hours to 96 hours before you arrive in that country. So if it's the case, then you'll need to be tested before you leave Canada, and then you will have to go to a COVID-testing centre at that time. But make sure you leave enough time to do that. You cannot just try to go the same morning you leave because you won't have the answer, you won't have the test results. So make sure you plan a good 72 to 96 hours, and then you'll get your test and then you can fly.
Aisha Khatib
Okay, so I know definitely working at the COVID assessment centre in Toronto, that we have been seeing a few people who have been required to have a negative test at least within the 72 hours before they fly. So often people are able to come and have the result within 72 to 96 hours online. So that's an option if needed. Okay, so how about once you're there at the airport? You've checked in. What can I expect going through security and customs now, coming into the new COVID era?
Vincent Poirier
Well first of all, you need to wear your mask. That's going to be number one. And also make sure you know that your new experience will take much longer. So you need to allow yourself more time to go through customs and to go through security. Now at security or just before security, you will have your temperature checked. Now in Canada, it is mandatory since July 9th, that everybody will have their temperature checked. And if you're above 38 degrees, you won't be able to board the aircraft. Some other airports or some other countries, they might target 37.5, some might be higher. So just again, look at the requirement. And then you might be going after that through a body thermal scan, when they might just take your whole body temperature by those scanners. Or even if you're let's say in Dubai, there is also a disinfectant booth. You will go for three seconds in that booth, it will disinfect you and then you'll be able to go on board. And of course, there's always the health questionnaire that you will have to answer to see if you have any COVID symptoms.
Aisha Khatib
So if you do have any COVID symptoms will you be allowed to fly?
Vincent Poirier
No, you won't be allowed to fly. You'll have to go home. There are some airlines that will ask you then to show a proof that you have no COVID before boarding your next flight if your next flight has been rescheduled.
Aisha Khatib
So I mean, that's something that I think travellers should be taking some responsibility about as well, and potentially if they do have symptoms, you know, starting at home, for example, they shouldn't even head to the airport then.
Vincent Poirier
No, it's true. I think the first big rule is: If you feel unwell or if you're sick, do not travel. It's not the time to travel when you have a fever, when you're right drenched at the airport. And also, if you have, let's say, a connection. Let's say you do a fly a flight from point A to point B to point C, well, if you get sick between the first leg of your trip and you're stuck in point B in another country, that can be quite—you won't have any fun. You might have to go to the hospital there. You might be quarantined in another country. Your insurance might not cover you on top of that. So just think about that. So if you feel unwell, do not fly, do not travel.
Aisha Khatib
So Dr. Poirier, so for example, if I do have a temperature or symptoms when I show up going through security and I'm not allowed to fly, what would the airlines do? Or what would the airport do? Would I get refunded? Would I be booked on another schedule or another flight? Or would I—you know, the responsibility and the cost of that be put on myself?
Vincent Poirier
Well, I guess it depends on the airline. Some will refund you, but these days, they don't give really any cash refund. Your money will be put in kind of a little bank in the cloud of the airline, and then you'll be able to use it as a voucher for a subsequent flight. Or your flight will just be postponed until you can show a proof that you don't have any COVID. And some airlines will even not require the COVID testing, they will just ask you to come back the next day, and if you have no fever then you'll be able to board the flight.
Aisha Khatib
Actually, I think recommendations are for 14 days. So they say if you had symptoms for 14 days prior to a flight, you might not be allowed onto the flight.
Vincent Poirier
Yeah, it's true. Yeah.
Aisha Khatib
You mentioned about travel insurance. So would travel insurance cover in a situation like this?
Vincent Poirier
Well, if you have bought your tickets before, I think, March 15th, you will be covered. But if you bought your ticket during the COVID pandemic, then you won't be covered anymore. So it's important to check with your insurance if you're covered or not, because you might not be covered maybe for a year as of now. So we don't know where insurance we'll start covering again for COVID. But as of now, you won't be covered if you buy a brand new ticket to fly outside Canada.
Aisha Khatib
That's an important point, especially if you do get sick while flying or, for example, you're abroad and the situation there in regards to COVID-19 gets worse, and travel restrictions are put in place or a lockdown is put in place, you know, you might not have coverage for even a place to stay or medical assistance while you're there. So a lot of considerations. So let's get past security, we've gone through customs. We've now got onto the plane. So do I have to wear a mask when I'm on the airplane?
Vincent Poirier
You do have to wear a mask. This is mandatory, except for children below the age of two. They don't have to, but otherwise everybody needs to wear a mask. Otherwise you will be deplaned.
Aisha Khatib
So what about eating and drinking then? If I need to eat and drink on the plane, can I take my mask off? Or how does that work?
Vincent Poirier
Well, of course you'll be able to eat and drink. But you don't want to leave your mask for a long time not on your face. You need to eat quite fast these days, or you need to drink your bottle quite fast. And then you put your mask back on right away, okay? Because, of course, if you don't have a mask, and if there is particles in the air for some reason, you could maybe catch it. We're not sure, but again so if you eat just do it fast.
Aisha Khatib
So what about—like, are they still providing meal services on planes?
Vincent Poirier
Well, that's a good—a very good question. Nowadays, almost all airlines do not offer a full meal. It's more like a lunch bag, a little brown bag they will give you when you board the aircraft with a bottle of water. So what I would suggest is that if you know you have a very long flight, a 12-hour flight, you might not get a full meal. So just double check with the airline. And if it's the case, just try to eat at the airport, or just pack your own meal. Just eat it at the airport so you know what you're eating, and you won't get contaminated by other people's food.
Aisha Khatib
Right. Okay, so let's talk about the plane now. So, you know, there's a lot of discussion about the middle seat now being booked up by airlines, and the risk of not being able to social distance on a plane. Where should I sit on a plane? What's the area of the lowest risk? Should I be buying somewhere in business where I can space out more? Should I be buying the seat next to me? Like, what is the discussion about that?
Vincent Poirier
Well, I think these days a lot of flights are not full. So if you can do your own check-in online prior of going to the airport, try to choose a seat or a section where there is nobody else sitting beside you. So that would be my first advice. Then, of course, if you're in business class again, that might be the same thing, you might not have anybody beside you, which is great. But if you're in economy, and let's say as of now the middle seat is still available, what you should choose is a window seat. If you're looking at some studies, if you're sitting near the window, you have less chance of people touching you, like, compared to if you're sitting on the aisle. On the aisle, people might bump into you, might touch your hair. There's also more ventilation coming through the aisle. So you might be more prone of catching some disease if you're on the aisle. So what people recommend is the window. And also remember that if you're sitting in the window seat, the chances for you to walk the aircraft and go to the bathroom often might not be there. You might just stay in your seat because you don't want to disturb the other passengers sitting on the same row. So then you will avoid travelling in the aircraft to go several times to the bathroom, compared to someone who's sitting in the aisle who might be more prone to travel or to walk more often in the aircraft.
Aisha Khatib
And, of course, it sounds like they're really trying to limit movement on the airplane as well just to decrease risk for transmission.
Vincent Poirier
Yes.
Aisha Khatib
So that would be another thing that would be difficult to do if you're sitting in that seat.
Vincent Poirier
And indeed, some American airlines decided not to offer any alcohol on board, because they don't want people to have a full bladder and to go to the bathroom. So that's something they're trying to do to avoid people from walking in the aircraft.
Aisha Khatib
I guess it comes down to risk mitigation. So what's the risk, the balance of risk there, right? You talked a little bit about ventilation. So can you talk to me a little bit about the air safety on a plane? I know a lot of people are concerned about, you know, being in an enclosed space for a long period of time. How safe is the air on a plane?
Vincent Poirier
I would say the air is very safe on the plane. First of all, the air that you breathe in in the aircraft, there is 50 percent of that air that comes from the outside. So they take fresh air from outside at 36,000 feet, which is usually free of any microorganism at that altitude, and that will be mixed with the air inside the aircraft. And the air inside the aircraft is recirculated, but it's going through double filtering, a first filter and a second filter what we call the HEPA filter, which stands for high-efficiency particulate air filter. And those will filter to about 99.99 percent of all bacteria and viruses.
Aisha Khatib
Oh, wow.
Vincent Poirier
Yeah. So really, it's quite effective. And all new aircraft they have those type of filters. So really, the air is quite clean. And remember that the air inside the aircraft is exchanged every three to four minutes, which is about 20 to 30 air exchanges per hour.
Aisha Khatib
Oh, that's significant.
Vincent Poirier
So this is much more than if you look at some building office, you know, so it's quite good.
Aisha Khatib
I know a lot of people have asked, like, the little fan above you. If you want to, like—I think they call it the gasper.
Vincent Poirier
The gasper, yeah.
Aisha Khatib
The gasper. Yeah. So if I'm getting hot in the plane and I want to turn the fan on, is that going to spread particulates and risk of, you know, aerosolized droplets? Like, should I be not using that?
Vincent Poirier
Well, you know, there is two ways to look at the gasper. So you look at several studies. Some studies will say that if you use a gasper, that will create a little ventilation shield in front of you, and that will push the particles or the viruses down to the floor where the HEPA filters are. So you might be good if you use them. But some other studies have shown that using the gasper will push air in your face, in your nose, because you're too hot and you put your head backward, and it will go straight to your nose and you might be more prone to catch viruses. So I think if you want to use the gaspers, it's a bit of a gambling game at this point, 50-50, and you see what will happen in the next few days after that.
Aisha Khatib
Interesting. But maybe there may be some protection if you're wearing the mask. So ...
Vincent Poirier
As well. No, for sure, Yes, exactly.
Aisha Khatib
You know, there's been studies done looking at other infectious diseases that have been transmitted on planes, such as tuberculosis and such as influenza. And there's evidence to suggest that there's an increased risk of disease transmission in the two rows in front of you and the two rows behind. And I know recently in the exposures from recent planes that have been listed on the Canada—the government exposure tracing website, that they were actually listing rows of the plane. So how much is that relevant in regards to the risk of transmission in regards to COVID-19?
Vincent Poirier
Well, we're still using those two rows in front of the contact person and two rows behind. We don't have a lot of studies showing that seven to ten to twenty rows, you're more likely to catch COVID from a contact passenger. So again, what the Health Canada here in Canada is doing is you might you might be told that there was someone on your flight that had COVID. You go on the website of Health Canada, and you will see your flight number, let's see Air Canada XXX or Air France ZZZ, and then it will tell you which rows. If you were in those rows, you should be tested. You should go to a COVID-testing centre to see if you're positive or negative, okay? And, of course, if you were in those rows, the recommendation is, of course, to quarantine yourself for 14 days. But anybody now arriving in Canada needs to be quarantined for 14 days. It's mandatory.
Aisha Khatib
Right. Under the Quarantine Act.
Vincent Poirier
Exactly.
Aisha Khatib
So it sounds like they are documenting potentially if there are contacts on planes, but is that something that, for example, if there is a positive contact on a flight that you've been on, will you be contacted for that for contact tracing? Or is it something that you can go and look up online? Because I know they have been listing those on the canada.ca website.
Vincent Poirier
Very, very good question. The airline will not contact you, for sure. This is not something the airline will do. Health Canada used to do it. I'm not sure now if they still do it. That's something I will just have to double check. But I'm not sure at this point with Health Canada what they're doing.
Aisha Khatib
I know that they are documenting data in relation to that when you come in, and I think that this may be coming down the road in regards to contact tracing. But I guess this is kind of a more watch that space. But I think if you develop symptoms 14 days post your trip, who would you contact? Like, would you let the airline know or would you let public health know?
Vincent Poirier
Well, first you need to tell your doctor, and the doctor will contact public health. Or when they do the test, every lab in Canada is required to let the public health of the province know about that, and then that will go to Public Health Canada. But again, you tell your doctor that you were on an aircraft and your doctor should contact public health of the province. And then after that, that will escalate to Public Health Canada.
Aisha Khatib
Okay. So I'm just going to get back to, you know, what are the dirtiest spots on an airplane? Like, where would you not go or touch? [laughs]
Vincent Poirier
[laughs] So if we start by the easiest thing that we never think about is your own seat. So, of course, the armrest, you know, that's going to be quite dirty. The seat belt, you know, you don't think about that. Everybody is touching the seat belt at least three times, four times during the flight. There's going to be the TV screen in front of you, the folding tray. So all of those are potential carriers of any diseases. So the recommendation is, first of all, when you sit down or before sitting down, carry little wipes and just wipe the area where you're going to be sitting: armrest, TV, folding tray. And, of course, the one that is also the dirtiest place is the toilet. So the handle of the toilet, for sure. The same thing with the sink and the flush when you flush the toilet. So either you use a little, like, hand paper or a little tissue when you want to flush, when you want to open the door, you use a little tissue. And then when you get back to your seat, make sure you clean your hand or you use hand sanitizer or wipes. Very important.
Aisha Khatib
So Dr. Perry, I have to ask. So when you go to the bathroom on the airplane, do you put your shoes on?
Vincent Poirier
[laughs] Always. Always put your shoes on. You don't want to look down. Some time you'll have some surprises. Middle of the night, if you wear socks, you'll remember for the rest of your life, from a personal hit. Oh yeah.
Aisha Khatib
No wet socks, eh? Coming back from the lavatory. So just speaking of wet socks, actually, I just have a question about compression stockings. So I know that, you know, we're really minimizing movement on airplanes now. And we used to say, you know, get up, walk around, exercise, but we're really reducing that now. So one of the things that was recommended to people who are at higher risk of, for example, developing blood clots or swelling in the legs was to use compression stockings. First of all, you know, who should wear compression stockings? And with the limited movement now allowed on airplanes, what can passengers do to help with that to reduce that risk of blood clots?
Vincent Poirier
Good question. So the people at risk usually are people that had recent surgery, had prior history of blood clots in their legs or maybe even in their arms. A woman who just delivered her baby or pregnant woman, she's more at risk. If you have an active cancer. If you're obese, because obesity, you might not move out of your seat so you'll be immobile. Or same thing if you have a cast. If you have a leg cast, you won't be moving that much. Or even, like, hormone therapy. So those people are more at risk, and the studies now showed that for any flight greater than four hours, you should be wearing compression stockings prior to boarding, because you won't be able to put that on board because they're quite hard to put on, and that population should be wearing stockings. And if for some reason you cannot wear stockings because you just can't, there is a new recommendation that you can maybe use aspirin, which is new since 2018. It's a new recommendation as well. Now if you cannot move in the plane, what you should do, you should do exercises at your seat. You should move your calf, you should move your ankle, you should just do some exercises of your leg so you don't develop a blood clot.
Aisha Khatib
Okay. I mean, I definitely think, you know, if you're going to be using any medication like aspirin, you should discuss that with your family doctor or your travel doctor before you go, for sure.
Vincent Poirier
For sure.
Aisha Khatib
Yeah. And what about, you know, with the increased risk of blood clots that we're seeing related to COVID and after COVID, should we be recommending compression stockings to all travellers?
Vincent Poirier
Well, there is no study as yet that have looked at blood clot and air travel and COVID, the three together. So I think that would be an interesting study to do. But, of course, if you think you might have any chance of developing a blood clot because you won't be moving and you have a flight of six hours, I would say wear them. I mean, there is really no risk. They're not dangerous to wear. So that would be something thing I would recommend.
Aisha Khatib
Okay. And just a note for travellers as well, so I mean, if you develop basically swelling or pain in one of your calves, or sharp shooting pain, difficulty breathing after a flight, anytime up to a week after a flight, you should get checked up to make sure that that isn't something that is at risk for a blood clot. So on that line, Dr. Poirier, who medically should not be travelling during these times? During this pandemic, who is the highest risk for travel right now?
Vincent Poirier
Well first, I would say everybody should not travel. That's number one. But number two, who's more at risk? People with chronic lung disease, because we know that COVID will target people with bad lungs. If you have, let's say, severe diabetes, or your diabetes is not well controlled, you're more at risk. And also everybody who's immuno-compromised. So people who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, people who have autoimmune diseases such as like lupus, people with HIV, people who had an organ transplant. All those people should not be travelling right now. They should stay home.
Aisha Khatib
Okay, so here we go. The plane's landing, okay? So we made it. We got through the flight. So now the plane has touched down. What can we expect now, okay? So, you know, what rules have changed on board in regards to this?
Vincent Poirier
Well, first of all, the plane touched down, stay sitting in your seat, because everybody tends usually just to right away stand up, grab their stuff in the overhead bin and then there is chaos, and you don't have this one to two metres away from other people. So stay in your seat. They will call you a row by row, then you will exit the plane. And then when you exit the plane, there might be someone who will check your temperature again to see if you have a temperature. And if you do, you will be sent to a COVID-testing centre in that country, or you might just be told to quarantine yourself. But I think all countries now pretty much tell you to quarantine. Some countries, though, will also oblige you to go through a COVID test at the airport. For example, Iceland. If you fly to Iceland, when you arrive they will do a COVID test at the airport and you will get your result within 24 hours. During that time, you don't have to stay at the airport, you can go home, you can go back to your hotel, and they will call you to let you know about your test. If you're negative, Iceland tells you, "Great, you're negative, you can travel." You're free to travel within Iceland, but if you're positive, then you must isolate yourself for 14 days. But other countries, if you look like Hong Kong for example, Hong Kong, when you arrive, same thing: you need to do a test, but you need to wait for the result at the airport. And on top of that, they will also put you with an electronic—they will attach an electronic tracking wristband on your wrist, and then you'll be tracked for the next two weeks, because no matter what, you have to self-isolate for 14 days, even if your test is negative. And if your test is positive in Hong Kong, you will be sent to those hospitals or those health centres for further treatment.
Aisha Khatib
Interesting. I know, like, South Korea and Taiwan as well have been using Bluetooth on phones to track people after travelling.
Vincent Poirier
Yeah, tracking. Yeah.
Aisha Khatib
And they're pinged or they're basically—there are spot checks done for them if they kind of, you know, go outside that quarantine. In Canada, what is basically the rules for security around that?
Vincent Poirier
Well, in Canada right now, we're not testing on arrival, but Health Canada and with the Quarantine Act, they tell you that when you arrive you need to go home and you need to isolate yourself for 14 days. And if you don't do so, you could go up to six months—you could be sent to jail for up to six months or you could be fined, like, $750,000 if you don't do your 14-days quarantine, okay? So that's something you have to remember.
Aisha Khatib
Right. So that's under the Quarantine Act, where it's mandatory for anyone coming into Canada from outside of Canada, including the United States—especially the United States, I should say—to quarantine for 14 days. And I believe I just read about the Contravention Act recently that has actually given more power to local and provincial police and RCMP to actually give fines, so they know they have been giving fines now of up to $1,000 on the spot, because they've been doing spot checks for people with that information. Just a quick question about luggage. When I'm getting my luggage off the plane, first of all, I heard that some planes are not even letting you take carry-on anymore?
Vincent Poirier
Yeah, exactly. Some countries you aren't allow carry-on, you're just allowed a tiny little—even not a tiny bag. So double check always with the airline what's the requirement regarding luggages and carry-on. And then when you arrive at your destination, again, people have touched your luggage, there is the baggage handlers, you know, that touch the handle and the whole thing. So you should, before your pickup or after you pick up your luggage, you should disinfect the handle of your luggage and you should wash your hands after that as well. And the thing is that when you arrive also, don't tell your whole family to come and get you at the airport.
Aisha Khatib
[laughs] Not a family affair.
Vincent Poirier
I know! Or, like, 10 friends. It should be one person that come and get you. And when you get home, you isolate yourself.
Aisha Khatib
So how do I get home? Can I—you know, I've come back, maybe I've had a business meeting or something like that. Can I just take a taxi home or an Uber?
Vincent Poirier
Well, we want to avoid any public transport. You want to avoid Metro, you want to avoid buses, you want to avoid taxis. You shouldn't have someone that you know, someone maybe who's COVID negative that you know about that should come and get you. However, if you really, really have no choice to use, let's say, taxi or Uber, make sure you wear your mask. And make sure your driver wears his mask as well. If you see that your Uber driver doesn't wear a mask, well, I would not go on that Uber taxi, you know? You need to protect yourself as well.
Aisha Khatib
Okay, so I've landed somewhere and I've done my 14-day quarantine. Is there an order where I need to get tested after I come back from travel? Like, should I go right away to the assessment centre and get the test done if they're not testing me at the airport? Or how long should I wait to get tested?
Vincent Poirier
No, there is no requirement. There is no need to come and get tested if you have no symptoms at all. Otherwise, all our testing centres in Canada will be full of people, will have too much people and not enough tests. But if you feel well, you don't need to be tested at all. If you feel unwell, if you just have a little, like, drippy nose, well you should quarantine yourself for 14 days, and you should count as soon as you stop having those symptoms. It's 14 days after the last symptoms. And if you feel really unwell, then you should get tested. And if you feel super unwell, then you should go to the hospital. But if you have no symptoms, you don't need to be tested.
Aisha Khatib
Okay. So any other tips or recommendations, Dr. Poirier, that you have in regards to, you know, this journey of travelling from pre-travel to in-flight to post-travel?
Vincent Poirier
Well, I think I have. I think there is, I think six main tips just to remember that I will tell my patient or my passenger. First of all, bring enough masks. Don't only bring one mask, because you might have to change it. After three, four hours wearing a mask in the aircraft, your mask will be wet. Might not be as efficient to filter particles. So you might want to bring two or three masks in your little hand luggage. Bring hand sanitizer. Make sure in Canada you respect the 100 millilitres of liquid when you go through security.
Aisha Khatib
So just in regards to the hand sanitizer, just a question about that. Because it's an alcohol product, right? And I thought we weren't allowed to bring hand sanitizer on because of the flammability risk on an airplane. So is that allowed now?
Vincent Poirier
It is allowed, but just don't drink it. That would be my thing, even if it is alcohol.
Aisha Khatib
That's good advice.
Vincent Poirier
Yeah. And it's good to know that if you're flying from the States to Canada, they have increased the amount of millilitres you're allowed too. You're allowed up to 350 for the hand sanitizer. You have the biggest bottle you can bring from the States for some reason. But in Canada, we're still just looking at the 100.
Aisha Khatib
Well, interesting. And the border's closed right now until for sure August 21, and likely until the end of the year. So we don't want anything from the States coming up here right now.
Vincent Poirier
And of course, maintain social distancing, you know? It's very easy not to respect that when you're in line waiting in security, or even in the aircraft when you wait to go to the washroom. Same thing. So make sure you leave a good one to two metres between the next passenger. And prepare your food and your water for your trip as well. You know, you might not have time to eat at the airport, you won't have a meal served on board. So just plan ahead of time. And the last thing also about your medicine, make sure you bring your medicine bottles your pills bottle with you in your hand luggage in your carry on. Don't put that in your big luggage that will go cargo. For some reason, if your luggage gets lost and you're abroad somewhere, then you have no pills, you have no medicine for the rest of your trip. So that's never, never, never good. And of course, the last thing, check with your insurance company before you go somewhere.
Aisha Khatib
Right. And I would add to that, check with your local travel expert or travel physician to see what other risks which maybe, you know, you need to take into consideration, whether you need vaccinations or other medications, other risks that may be associated with travel and even post travel follow-up if you're unwell. Just one question, I'm curious just because given you were talking about how dirty the planes and everything are, what is the airline industry doing right now to ensure, like, disinfection of airports and airplanes. Like, I've heard things from, like, ozone being used and UV and robots being brought in. Like, what exactly is being done right now?
Vincent Poirier
Well again, it depends on the airline. But now all airlines, they have more people cleaning the aircraft between every flight, which we didn't used to see that before. So people are using those UV lights, they're using ozone. There is a team that will clean every armrest, every TV screen. So that's quite good. And they will clean the toilet between every flight, which before they were cleaned maybe once a day or once every two days. So that's a good thing that now they're doing much more cleaning onboard than before.
Aisha Khatib
I've heard they've actually even set up mask disposal areas, because I think what people don't understand is that the masks itself, there's a lot of risk of contamination and self-contamination or contamination to others. And I've heard that there's been a lot of mask littering, which is really unfortunate to hear about. But I think that's another point in regards to people being more responsible about where they're disposing of their masks after they're done using them, and making sure you're washing your hands after you remove your mask.
Vincent Poirier
Yes. Yes, for sure. And also a lot of airlines now are giving you a little—what we call a little hygiene kit, little clean kit before you board on, which contains mask, glove, gel and wipes. It's a nice little box but, and you can put at the end of your flight your glove, your dirty gloves, your dirty mask in that box, and you'll just have to throw it in the garbage bag when the flight attendant will pass around with their open garbage bag. But you might get a little box like this on board some airlines.
Aisha Khatib
I just imagine it's just the sleeping mask that they've said you can move downwards to cover your nose. [laughs]
Vincent Poirier
[laughs] I would not recommend that mask.
Aisha Khatib
So Dr. Poirier, I know it's going to be a long time before we're able to travel again like we used to for fun, you know, but I think it's important that we all look at ways to resume safe travels slowly, and going back to a safe and healthy way of reopening and making sure we're educating ourselves and others around that. And taking care of others as well when we're doing that. So where is the first destination that you will go once things open up when—you know, this may be many, many months to even a year from now, but where is the first place you're going to be going?
Vincent Poirier
Oh, I might go to see you, Aisha, just to have a little meal with you.
Aisha Khatib
You don’t have to fly. You can just drive down to Toronto. Decrease your risk. You're welcome, you're welcome anytime. Well, there you have it folks from the expert in the field. It's not a good time to fly right now for non-essential reasons, but at the same time if you need to, hopefully we've outlined some risk-mitigation tips for you that may help you stay safe during this time. So Dr. Poirier, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us on this podcast today.
Vincent Poirier
Thank you very much, Aisha.
Christopher Shulgan
That’s a wrap for this episode of Eat Move Think. We’ll post links and highlights on the website at eatmovethinkpodcast.com. Follow Dr. Aisha Khatib on Twitter @aishakhatib. Eat Move Think is produced by Ghost Bureau. Senior producer is Russell Gragg. Remember to rate and subscribe to Eat Move Think on your favourite podcast platform. Follow Shaun on Twitter and Instagram @shauncfrancis—that's Shaun with a U—and Medcan @medcanlivewell. We'll be back soon with a new episode examining the latest in health and wellness.