Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic on coronavirus preparedness

Tom Mihaljevic, CEO of Cleveland Clinic, joins "Squawk Alley" to discuss preparing for a growing coronavirus outbreak.

The spread of coronavirus and cutbacks in domestic and international airline schedules continue to raise concerns and insecurities for those with travel plans for the next few weeks and months.

If your airline cancels your flight, your employer restricts business travel or an organization cancels its scheduled conference, your decision about whether to go or stay home will be made for you.

But if you’re in the wait-and-see mode or decide to pack your bags and go, here’s what medical experts say about avoiding germs while flying.

Before you fly

During normal times, airports and airplanes are germ-ridden places. So experts say now is the time to pay extra attention to the health and hygiene rules you likely practice anyway, such as washing your hands often and packing items like hand sanitizer, tissues and extra supplies of medications. You may also want to make copies of your health insurance paperwork before flying.

Travelers hitting the road in the next few days, weeks or months should double check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for up-to-date information about travel advisories and risk assessment by country and think through contingency plans before leaving home.

“Have someone available in case you need help with emergency travel plans or need to get home quickly,” said Jonathan Fielding, professor of public health and pediatrics at University of California, Los Angeles and chair of the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services, established by the Department of Health and Human Services.

But keep in mind that as the virus spreads “you never know when a city you’re in or about to travel to is going to be sealed off, flights cancelled, or travelers quarantined,” he said.

At the airport

At airports, germs can linger on the screens at self-service check-in kiosks, on the bins and belts at security checkpoints, on escalator handrails, food court tables, in restrooms and gate seating areas.

Generally, to avoid germs at the security checkpoint, you should never walk barefoot though the metal detector, said Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona. Place your shoes on the belt, not in a bin. Put whatever you can, including your jacket, your phone and the contents of your pockets, into your carry-on instead of into a bin. And take a moment use hand sanitizer in the post-security repacking area before rushing off to the food court or your gate.

Airports across the country say they are increasing the frequency of cleaning routines and the intensity of cleaning products at “high touch” areas in shuttle buses, washrooms, security checkpoints, food courts and other areas, adding hand sanitizer stations and taking other actions to keep passengers and employees healthy.

Denver International Airport is installing sanitary wipes in jet bridges to allow passengers to sanitize their seats on planes. And in a list of new protocols at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, officials say more than 100 new hand sanitizers have been installed throughout the airport, with 100 more to be installed soon. Cleaning frequencies at high touch points have been increased and contractors are being equipped with hospital-grade disinfectant and wipes for faster response and cleaning.

But passengers should still take extra precautions. “Our studies have found that viruses can spread very rapidly via the hands because of the large number of surfaces that you touch,” Gerba said. He advocates washing your hands often, using hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol and using disinfecting wipes on hard surfaces in airports.

And before your flight, “wait in the least crowded areas of the airport and try to stay at least six feet away from anyone else,” said UCLA’s Fielding, “And try to board the plane last, after the line has thinned, so you’re not stuck waiting in a tight space with lots of other people as they board.”

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