Bloomberg reports on how the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has published an updated 38-page list of guidelines for airlines, intended to stop the spread of coronavirus. This is the sixth edition of the guidance issued.

The CAAC is recommending that on charter flights to high-risk countries, flight attendants wear disposable diapers so that they can avoid using the lavatories, since that’s the area of the plane where you have the highest risk of infection.

High-risk countries are defined as those with infections exceeding 500 per million people. I would guess that’s based on average weekly cases, in which case the US more than qualifies (we’re at 600+ cases per million in the past week).

The section on personal protective equipment recommends that flight attendants wear medical protective masks, double-layer disposable medical rubber gloves, goggles, disposable caps, disposable protective clothing, and disposable shoe covers.

Now, in fairness, these are just recommendations — crews are only required to wear masks and goggles, while the diapers are optional, at least on the CAAC level (individual airlines can also set stricter policies, of course).

The CAAC also recommends that airlines divide cabins into four zones, including the clean area, the buffer zone, the passenger sitting area, and the quarantine area, which each section separated by disposable curtains. It’s recommended that the last three rows of planes should be designated as emergency quarantine areas./Bloomberg