WHO "Must wear masks for long-distance travelers"... Measures following the spread of XBB.1.5

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XBB.1.5, which has the strongest propagation power among the Omicron submutations, is rapidly spreading in Europe following the United States.

WHO recommends that long-distance travelers wear masks.

Shin Jeong-eun is a reporter.

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Yesterday (10th) local time, the World Health Organization (WHO) advised passengers on long-distance flights to wear masks.

Catherine Smallwood, WHO's senior emergency planning officer for Europe, said: "It is recommended for all travelers coming from areas where COVID-19 has spread widely."

This is a measure in response to the rapid spread of XBB.1.5, which is known to have the strongest transmission power among the recent COVID-19 omicron submutations, in the United States and Europe.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the 6th that XBB.1.5 infection accounts for 27.6% of new confirmed cases in the United States.

In Europe, it is predicted that XBB.1.5 will become the dominant species within weeks.

Senior Emergency Planning Officer Catherine Smallwood also urged that each country "must review the evidence for pre-departure inspections" and that if related measures are being considered, "they should be implemented without discrimination."

However, it was also clarified that it is not yet at the stage of recommending COVID-19 testing for travelers from the United States.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday also recommended wearing masks and testing for COVID-19 on flights between China and Europe.