Thousands of Flight Passengers Exposed to COVID-19

In what could be a setback for commercial aircrafts, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now said that thousands of passengers on board commercial flights may have been exposed to coronavirus since the start of 2020.

A CNN report quoted CDC as saying that "it was made aware of 1,600 flights between January and August where a person on board may have had Covid-19, potentially exposing 10,900 people "within a 6-foot range for droplet transmission."

In a statement, it further said, "CDC identified and notified relevant health departments about these 10,900 on-board close contacts."

The development comes even as airline companies are insisting that air travel is safe. The report quoted Nick Calio of Airlines for America as saying, "You are a lot safer in an airplane… than you are probably in your own home. People don't like being in a confined space, however, as opposed to being in your house, in a grocery store, in a church, in a bar or restaurant, or even a playground, you're a lot better off."