To all ITF-affiliated organisations

ITF E-Circular No. 030/A/2020

Our ref: OGS/SMC/jm 

31/01/2020

Dear Friends, 

Coronavirus update and advice

The ITF is closely following all advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding the current outbreak, which originated in Wuhan city, a major domestic and international transport hub.

We call on all governments and transport companies to implement all measures available to them to limit the risk of transmission of the deadly coronavirus to transport workers globally. This is particularly important for airline, border, cruise workers, seafarers and port workers who are on the frontline of the outbreak.

WHO has advised governments to prepare for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation, case management, contact tracing and prevention of the onward spread of infection.

Governments worldwide should immediately act and implement strict biosecurity protocols in airports and ports, including procedures to identify potentially infected passengers, crew and seafarers from areas of concern, to contain the outbreak and minimise any chance of exposure and safeguard workers from the deadly outbreak.

Airlines, airports, cruise line operators, shipping companies and port operators must provide workers with the latest information regarding the outbreak, follow best practice in regard to health and safety protocols and supply of personal protective equipment, put into effect procedures to identity symptomatic travellers, crew and/or workers, and set clear guidelines for workers managing suspected cases of infection.

Safe crewing and manning levels must be applied to ensure that crews have adequate rest in line with national legislation.

More detailed advice is provided below for aviation workers and airlines and for seafarers, dockers and the maritime industry. All of this advice is applicable to all workers and companies across all transport sectors.

Advice for airlines and aviation workers

Airlines should not restrict workers’ ability to protect themselves from exposure in any way, including:

•           Allowing airline crews and ground staff to wear personal protective equipment as desired – including rubber gloves and facemasks.

•           Allowing airline crews and ground staff time and adequate breaks to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from exposure.

•           Should an aviation worker become infected, isolation at home should be prioritised, and the workers must continue to be paid appropriately.

Advice for crew members:

•           Encourage all onboard to practice hand and respiratory hygiene especially when coughing or sneezing.

•           Crew should use hand sanitiser/wash hands following contact with any passenger or other crew.

•           If on a layover in a country with a known coronavirus outbreak, crew are advised to remain in hotel accommodation as much as possible and practice hand and respiratory hygiene and safe food practices (see more below).

If a traveller or crew member onboard has signs and symptoms of infection, follow the International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines for cabin crew:

•           Ask the ill traveller where he/she has travelled in the last 21 days.

•           Call for medical support on the ground or medical assistance on board and follow their advice.

•           If possible, try to isolate the ill traveller and relocate the adjacent passengers. If no seats are available, consider giving masks to the adjacent passengers.

•           Designate one cabin crew member to look after the ill traveller.

•           Designate a specific lavatory for the exclusive use of the ill traveller.

•           Request the passenger or crew member use a face mask and replace as needed.

•           Encourage the passenger to practice hand and respiratory hygiene:

§  Provide tissues and advise traveller to cover their mouth and nose when speaking, sneezing or coughing.

§  Advise the ill traveller to practice proper hand hygiene.

§  Provide an airsickness bag to be used for the safe disposal of the tissues.

•           Crew should stay one metre or more away from the ill passenger unless wearing appropriate protective equipment.

•           If touching the ill passenger is required, crew should wear appropriate protective equipment.

•           All soiled items (tissues, masks, blankets etc.) should be stored in a biohazard bag if available, if not seal in plastic bag and label it ‘biohazard’.

•           Ask accompanying traveller(s) if they have any similar symptoms.

•           Advise the captain to report the suspected case(s) to air traffic control and local public health authorities.

•           Unless advised otherwise by health officials, ask all travellers seated in the same row, 2 rows in front and 2 rows behind the sick traveller to complete a passenger locator form if available.

Advice for the maritime industry, seafarers and dock workers

Much of the advice for aviation workers is relevant for workers on cruise ships and across the maritime industry and transport industry more broadly.

The following advice from the International Maritime Health Association is more specific to the maritime industry, seafarers and dock workers:

•           Do not restrict embarkation/disembarkation of seafarers in non-affected ports.

•           Do not restrict necessary ship visits by port agents, chaplains, service personnel and others.

•           Do not visit food markets in China and avoid provision of fish and poultry in China.

•           Do not consume raw eggs, milk or meat.

•           Observe strict food hygiene protocols to avoid cross contamination

•           Ensure facial protection is provided for all crew (5 pieces /per person)

•           Provide influenza vaccination, alcohol-based hand sanitiser and facial protection for ship inspectors and other crew who travel to China.

•           If a crew member on board falls sick and has been travelling to affected areas 2-12 days before embarkation, the person must stay in his/her cabin.

•           If a crew member is sick on board a ship, fill out the maritime declaration of health and notify the relevant port authority and consult a healthcare provider in the next port.

Ways to protect yourself and others from coronavirus

There is currently no vaccine to prevent Corona virus infection, the best way to protect yourself from infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

The following advice from the UN lists everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of the virus:

•           Frequently wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

•           Cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing.

•           Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

•           Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough.

•           Stay at home if you are sick.

•           Seek early medical help if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share your travel history with healthcare providers.

•           Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas.

•           Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or eggs to avoid cross-contamination.

The ITF will provide further updates as appropriate and you can find information on our website. You can also keep up to date with WHO advice on their website.

In unity,

Stephen Cotton

General Secretary

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(編譯/中華海員總工會)

關於冠狀病毒更新訊息和建議

本次疫情起源於武漢市，該城市是重要的國內外交通樞紐。ITF 正密切關注世界衛生組織 (WHO) 對於本次疫情發布之建議。

呼籲各國政府和交通運輸業者，採取所有可行措施以遏止全球運輸工人感染致命冠狀病毒的風險。尤其對處於疫情第一線的航空公司、邊境、郵輪工作人員、船員和港口工人，這些措施更為重要。

WHO已建議各國政府做相關控制準備，包括主動監測、及早發現、隔離、病例管理、追蹤接觸史以及預防感染蔓延。

各國政府應立即在機場和港口採取嚴格的生物安全規定，包括鑑別來自疫情地區、有潛在感染風險的乘客、工作人員和船員的程序，以遏止疫情擴散，並最大程度地降低接觸機率、保護人員免受致命性疫情的侵襲。

航空公司、機場、郵輪公司、船務公司和港口業者必須提供疫情的最新資訊給員工、遵循健康和安全規定、提供個人防護設備，並且要有效鑑別有症狀的乘客、機組人員和/或工作人員，對於可疑感染病例也須制訂明確的處理準則。

同時要採用安全的船員配置水準，以確保船員依據國家法律規定得到充足休息時間。

以下是針對航空公司及人員、航運業者及船員、碼頭工人所提供的詳細建議。這些建議也適用於所有交通運輸部門的人員和公司。

給航空公司和航空人員的建議

航空公司不應以任何方式限制工作人員保護自己免受疫情影響的能力，包括：

• 允許航空機組人員和地勤人員依個人需要配戴防護設備，包括橡膠手套和口罩。

• 允許航空機組人員和地勤人員有充分的時間，採取所有必要的預防措施，保護自己免受疫情影響。

• 若航空人員受感染，應優先考慮讓其在家隔離，並持續支付適當的薪酬。

 給機組人員的建議：

• 鼓勵所有機上人員實踐手部及呼吸道衛生，尤其是咳嗽或打噴嚏時。

• 機組人員與任何乘客或其他機組人員接觸後，應使用消毒劑清潔或洗手。

• 若在已知有冠狀病毒疫情的國家中途停留，建議機組人員盡可能待在住宿旅館中，並實踐手部及呼吸道衛生和安全的飲食習慣。

若機上的乘客或機組人員有感染的跡象和症狀，請遵循國際航空運輸協會 (IATA) 的機艙人員準則：

• 詢問生病乘客過去 21 天的旅遊接觸史。

• 諮詢地面醫療支援或機上醫療協助，並聽從其建議。

• 如有可能，請設法隔離生病乘客並重新安置附近的乘客。若沒有座位，建議提供口罩給鄰座乘客。

• 指定一位空服員照顧生病乘客。

• 指定一間生病乘客專用的洗手間。

• 要求乘客或機組人員使用口罩並適時更換。

• 鼓勵乘客實踐手部及呼吸道衛生：

- 提供紙巾，讓乘客說話、打噴嚏或咳嗽時可遮住口鼻。

- 請生病乘客保持手部衛生。

- 提供暈機袋讓乘客丟棄用過的紙巾，以策安全。

• 機組人員若未穿著適當的防護裝備，應與生病乘客保持一公尺以上距離。

• 若必須接觸生病乘客，機組人員應穿戴適當的防護設備。

• 如果可以，請將所有受汙染的物品（紙巾、口罩、毛毯等）存放在生物性廢棄物袋中，若沒有此類包袋，請將廢棄物密封在塑膠袋中，並貼上「生物危害性」標籤。

• 詢問同行乘客是否有類似症狀。

• 建議機長向航空管理及當地公共衛生部門回報疑似病例。

• 除非衛生官員另有建議，否則如情況允許，須請所有與生病乘客坐在同一排及前、後各兩排的乘客，填寫旅客定位表。

給航運業者、船員和碼頭工人的建議

上述提供航空人員的多項建議，也適用郵輪及全體海運及運輸業人員。

以下建議來自國際海運健康協會 (IMHA)：

• 勿限制未受疫情影響之港口的船員上船/下船。

• 勿限制港口代理、牧師、服務人員和其他人員的必要訪船工作。

• 勿前往中國的食品市場、避免食用中國的魚類和家禽。

• 勿食用生雞蛋、牛奶或生肉。

• 嚴格遵守食品衛生規定，以避免交叉污染

• 確保所有人員都有口罩（每人 5 件）

• 提供前往中國的檢查員和其他船員流感疫苗接種、酒精類手部消毒劑和口罩。

• 若船上有船員生病，並且在登船前 2-12 天曾前往疫情地區，則該員必須隔離在自己的船艙中。

• 若船上有船員生病，請填寫海運健康聲明，並通知有關港口當局，並諮詢下一個港口的醫療提供單位。

保護自己和他人免受冠狀病毒感染的方法

目前沒有疫苗可以預防，保護自己免受感染最好的辦法就是避免接觸病毒。

針對預防病毒傳播，聯合國提出下列建議：

• 經常用溫水和肥皂洗手，每次至少 20 秒，或使用酒精類洗手液。

• 打噴嚏或咳嗽時，請用彎曲的肘部或紙巾遮住口鼻。

• 若未洗手請避免觸摸眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴。

• 避免與發燒或咳嗽的人密切接觸。

• 若生病，請待在家裡。

• 若發燒、咳嗽和呼吸困難，請盡早尋求醫療幫助，並告知醫師自己的旅遊接觸史。

• 前往疫情地區的活物市場，應避免在無保護狀態下直接接觸動物。

• 避免生食或食用未處理的動物產品，處理生肉、牛奶或雞蛋時，應格外小心，以避免交叉污染。

ITF 會繼續提供更新的資訊，您可以至本會網站查詢訊息，也可以至WHO網站上了解相關建議。

團結一致

ITF 秘書長 

史蒂芬．柯頓