Virgin Australia has come under fire from an irate passenger who claims a crew captain on his flight complained about mask requirements despite the fact that the country is still registering hundreds of Covid cases per day.
Eddie Synot, a lawyer and researcher, claimed that on July 1, he was traveling from Brisbane to Sydney when the crew captain, who should not be confused with the flight captain, made jokes about Covid, complained about the government’s requirement to wear a mask, and urged other passengers to file complaints.
Mr. Synot tweeted on Friday, “Virgin Australia’s crew captain is extremely inappropriately speaking to passengers about federal government mask rules and urging them to protest to the government.”
He added that Covid is still a big threat because the area is enclosed, there is no airflow, his kid is not immunized, his wife is expecting, and many members of his extended family are at higher risk.
Mr. Synot claimed that his tweet was not intended to cause difficulties for anyone, but rather to draw attention to the fact that this is still a problem and that the law should be upheld.
I’m not demanding that anyone be punished, My main focus is to emphasize and make sure the messaging is followed.
Covid is still a significant threat.
My wife is expecting, my child isn’t immunized, and several members of my extended family are at greater risk.
It isn’t a joke, he insisted.
In response to Mr. Synot’s remark, the airline expressed regret.
According to a spokesman, “The health and safety of everyone onboard is always our top priority, and for this reason, we highly encourage all guests to comply with health directives and wear face masks.”
We also demand that our cabin crew members put on face masks while working inside an airplane.
To help us progress our investigation, we have sent you a DM asking you to confirm the time and date of your travel.
Mask requirements still apply to all domestic flights as well as overseas flights coming back to Australia, despite the fact that they have been relaxed in the majority of circumstances.
In June, the requirement for masks in all Australian airports was lifted.
The air conditioning systems on airplanes are equipped with HEPA filters, which can almost eliminate all airborne infections.
However, this does not eliminate the risk of sitting next to someone who has the Covid virus because they could directly breathe or cough the virus onto you.
There was an 11% chance of contracting the virus on a 12-hour flight where no passengers were wearing masks and one person was ill, according to a March 2021 study published in the Journal of Travel Medicine.
However, the danger increased to as high as 99.6% for anyone seated near to that person.
The risk of infection decreased to 3% if everyone on board was wearing a mask and using the HEPA-filtered air conditioning.
In the 24 hours leading up to Monday, Australia added another 29,677 Covid cases, and 118 individuals are receiving ICU care.
Virgin Australia has been approached by Daily Mail Australia for a response.