Qatar Airways is going to the next level when it comes to requirements during the coronavirus pandemic. The airline will now require guests to wear a face shield and a face mask while on board.
The airline said it will issue protection kits, which come with the following items:
- Face shields
- Hand sanitizer
- Surgical face mask
- Disposable gloves
Qatar Airways will offer the kit before anyone boards the flight.
The face shields are disposable. The airline will offer one for adults and one for children. Anyone under 2 years old won’t have to wear them.
Qatar Airways said people in economy will have to wear the face shields unless they are eating. Those in business class can wear the shield “at their own discretion, as they enjoy more space and privacy.”
Most airlines require travelers to wear masks on airplanes, as this list from Forbes will show you. The mask policies generally apply to adults. Children under the age of 12 don’t always have to wear masks, depending on the airline.
But Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, told The New York Times that some airlines don’t enforce the rules.
“Airlines have said follow the guidelines, but don’t enforce them, don’t tackle people to the ground and don’t turn flights around if they don’t listen. That gets around to the public then it’s, ‘I don’t have to do this. There are no consequences if I don’t do this.’ That, too, can lead to conflict, not just with the flight attendants, but with other passengers, who get angry and all of a sudden we have to break up a fight.”