JetBlue Airways president Joanna Geraghty recently told Bloomberg that people shouldn’t be spooked by air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

  • She said recent research shows there’s “less than 1% risk of transmitting COVID in an aircraft.”
  • She pointed to a new study from Harvard, which was sponsored by the airline industry.
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A woman may have caught coronavirus on an airplane. Here’s how it happened

What does other data say?

Other data from the CDC found that 11,000 people in the U.S. have potentially been exposed to the novel coronavirus while on a flight, which I wrote about for Deseret.com.

The CDC reviewed 1,600 cases of people who flew while at risk of spreading the coronavirus, according to The Washington Post.

  • The study found 11,000 people who might have been exposed because of those flyers.
  • Of course, the CDC can not confirm how many people became infected from the flights because there was “incomplete contact tracing information” since the virus “incubates over several days,” according to The Washington Post.
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This passenger with COVID-19 almost boarded a flight after avoiding quarantine

What does the CDC advise?

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The CDC said air travel can lead to infection and spreading of COVID-19.

  • “Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”
  • “You can get COVID-19 during your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to others. You and your travel companions (including children) may spread COVID-19 to other people including your family, friends and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.”
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