IATA's health advisor, David Powell, said that ensuring personal hygiene and washing hands is the best way to protect travelers from the new Corona virus (Covid 19) during the trip, noting in comments to CNBC , The risk of any serious viral infection during the flight is "very low" as the air on the planes is cleared and sterilized.

Powell added, however, that the risk remains if one of the passengers near another person on the plane suffers from symptoms, explaining that "this virus has spread in the vast majority of cases through close contact with another infected person." And he said that in the midst of this crisis, the most important way to reduce exposure to infection is good hand hygiene.

He said, "Respiratory viruses are transmitted mostly through the spread of droplets by coughing or sneezing towards someone, and this means that a surface that another person touches immediately has been contaminated," adding, "So hand hygiene is the primary thing."

"This means that anyone who is concerned about being exposed to the virus should avoid touching their face and wash their hands and dry them constantly, or use an alcohol-free hand sanitizer if they cannot reach hand-washing facilities," Powell said.

The health expert offered some advice to reduce the risks of the "Corona" virus on flights, pointing out that there is another way to stop the spread of any virus on a plane is to monitor "etiquette of cough", that is, coughing or sneezing in tissues, and if this is not possible, the traveler should use He attached his hand, then cleaned it immediately, "adding," of course we do not advise people to travel when they are not feeling well and feel symptoms. "

While taking preventive measures to reduce potential exposure to the Corona virus may be effective, Powell said travelers should take precautions if they notice that another passenger sitting next to them shows signs of illness.

He added that "if there is a person near you on the plane, then the crew must be alerted to that, because there are standard procedures that they can take to separate this person and reduce the risks to others."

And Powell explained that "the first most common symptoms of this disease are severe fever, in which the body temperature usually exceeds 38 degrees Celsius," stressing that "if anyone suffers from a high temperature, it certainly should not be Travel.