China’s civil aeronautics agency is suggesting flight attendants wear diapers when traveling to high-risk destinations. I cannot think of anything more disgusting…
China Tells Flight Attendants To Consider Diapers On Risky Flights
First, whatever the actual numbers are, I recognize that China has done a phenomenal job of containing the spread of COVID-19. I laud China for its efforts to combat this virus and also note how life has largely returned to normal within China.
But the virus is still spreading around the world and in doing so, raised concern over flight attendant actions which may contribute to that spread. Per Bloomberg, a new 38-page guide for airlines by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) recommends crew wear diapers on charter flights to/from high-risk regions in order to avoid unnecessary risk in lavatories which are easily contaminated. The policy is a recommendation, not an edict, and includes other personal protective equipment suggestions including:
- Medical protective masks
- Double-layer disposable medical rubber gloves
- Goggles
- Disposable caps
- Disposable protective clothing
- Disposable shoe covers
Only masks and goggles are actually required.
The Idea Of Flight Attendants Wearing Diapers Is Ridiculous
Before Chinese airlines start forcing flight attendants to wear diapers, they should simply mark off one lavatory for crew use only and have it disinfected between each use. The idea of flight attendants wearing diapers is simply absurd. Planes are stinky enough already. Can you imagine the smell of feces or even urine wafting down the aisle from the same flight attendant serving your dinner?
I am again reminded that many choices in life come with risk, but running a cost-benefit analysis is far more important than avoiding risk. We can certainly achieve zero cases if no one was allowed outside their homes. The economy and then the world would also collapse…
The diaper idea reminds me of libertarianism. Sure, it’s somewhat sensical in theory, but totally unworkable in practice.
CONCLUSION
The idea that flight attendants should wear diapers should be placed directly in the diaper bin with all the other refuse. It’s a foolish idea disproportionate to the risk, especially when there are less intrusive solutions available such as assigning one lavatory exclusively for crew use.
(H/T: One Mile at a Time // image: China Eastern)
The diaper idea reminds me of libertarianism. Sure, it’s somewhat sensical in theory, but totally unworkable in practice.
To be candid, it doesn’t sound like you really know much about it, but that is possible the single strangest ad hominem remark about the topic I think I’ve ever read.
They apparently don’t teach history anymore. It’s socialism/communism that only works on paper. We have a generation of lemmings that have been brainwashed to think it’s a novel new idea, despite history being littered with only failed states that tried it. USSR, NK, China before instead pivoting to exploiting the west’s naivete, Cuba, Venezuela, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc etc etc. Oh, but it will work next time, right?
Libertarianism is the natural order of things without heavy handed government intervention. It’s not anarchy. It’s just government staying in their lane. It worked in the US for about 150 years before the statists started eroding the nation.
Certainly they leave out the parts where even libertarians clutch their pearls when someone touches their social security or Medicare.
Little-known historical facts that FDR and LBJ was briefly educated in Moscow and Havana, respectively.
@Mak + WR2 – relax. I am happy to add that communism dramatically failed everywhere it was tried and where it has somewhat worked (China) it is more market-based totalitarianism that robs people of precious universal rights. But when I speak of the libertarian utopia, I’m not talking about “staying in lanes.” I am talking about a central government ceasing to function in any meaningful way. The notion that rights and responsibilities are only framed in individual terms seems quite foolish to me, especially with a historical lens on. Central planning is a recipe for disasters, but the collective action problem requires coordination in decision making.
Matthew, I appreciate the thoughtful reply, but all rights stem from individual rights of self-ownership, from which all others flow. Without that basic philosophical grounding, there can be no rights.
You are quite right that central planning is a recipe for disaster but you contradict your own statement that we somehow require “coordination” in decision making. Such coordination is impossible without coercion, but even if we prefer to ignore that reality there is simply no expert or group of experts remotely as wise as the collective wisdom of individuals fulfilling their own satisfaction, and no method of “coordination” better than the price system. Anybody interested in this should check out Nobel Prize winning economist F.A. von Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit.
Not sure how it’s disgusting when babies and elderly use diapers.
If anything, flight attendants know their bodies the best and they can prepare for their flights by eating at certain times so they know when they’ll most likely need to use the restroom, etc.
I do agree though that every person, including FAs, should have access to a lavatory at all times.
Suddenly the astronaut woman who wore a diaper to drive all night to confront her lover seems so normal. Times sure have changed.
What’s the big fuss? I guarantee that lots of those old ladies working international on AA, UA and DL wear Depends already.
@Matthew
I just read the CAAC regulation itself. I want to preface it by saying I’m not sure in whose world this seemed like a good idea to include. Once anyone thinks about it for a moment, it’s completely ridiculous. However, I do want to point out that the actual way it’s written doesn’t exactly translate 1:1 into, “wear diapers.” I hope you can appreciate that nuance in language matters.
The specific instruction is under the somewhat specific heading of “8. Prevention measures for special (charter) flights to high risk countries/regions” which is further defined as “Any country/region experiencing a case rate of >500 per million population.” I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into the charter flight language and why “region” remains undefined, but it doesn’t seem like the recommendation is meant across the board.
The actual “diaper” bit is more appropriately translated as “In extortionary circumstances, cabin crew may utilize single use sanitary pads to reduce the risk of transmission.”
What else is interesting, is that along the lines of your suggestion of a dedicated lavatory, the section immediately preceding the one with the “diaper” language does call for the rear lavatory to be reserved for passengers who are being isolated.
It is indeed quite funny for flight attendant to wear diapers. But maybe it’s not such a huge surprised for me cuz I’ve read and heard all sort of similar situation on the news. For example back in March when a wave of people (departing from US & Europe) returning to China, HK and Taiwan… many of the passengers covered themselves with PPE and wore diapers to prevent themselves from using the lavatory. I’ve also read that some of the passengers from Taiwan even avoid inflight meals completely for 10+ hours. In fact, back in March, the Taiwan CDC director was on the news suggesting Taiwanese people to avoid taking flight as much as possible and if they must take a flight, to wear masks, bring hand sanitizer, try to avoid lavatory and maybe wear diapers to lower the risk from getting infected.
Hey Matthew,
Are you seriously giving that much credit to Chinese party for the containment of the virus?
If they had done the proper thing to stop international travel out of China before shutting down Wuhan, the world would be in a lot different place than it is in today. Let’s not get forget how this pandemic unfolded.
I agree with your last paragraph. That said, they botched it up but have contained the damage well…at least within their own borders.
@Min
I’ve never really bought the “deliberately withheld information” argument, as I feel like our own government could be accused of that as well. Most of the time, we’re probably just reacting too slow to the limited information that’s available.
However, outright preventing people from leaving does seem like it would’ve been a common sense measure and is perhaps one of the better arguments about how China “botched” things up.
Meanwhile, is your suggestion for China to have prevented all travel outside of the country, or just of its own citizens? I feel like any exit restrictions on foreign nationals would not have been met kindly by the international community.
On that note, does anyone happen to know what the mix of domestic to foreign departures are on flights out of China? Could barring just their own citizens from international travel have reduced the flow of people by half? Or would it not have been very effective at all?
As long as we’re passing around blame… are COVID-related effects in the US (e.g., deaths, unemployment, recession, human suffering, etc.) “more” the fault of inaction by China’s government? Or because of inaction by our own Federal government?
Holy Mother of God! This is repellent! They cannot be serious…
Please don’t call it a diaper! These are called “briefs” or “incontinence pads”.
I needed to have emergency bowel surgery a year ago that resulted in surgeons having to create an ileostomy. So I no longer need to use the loo, so to speak, except to empty the bag that is now attached to my stomach. I’m also cabin crew for a major airline. So I’m guessing that if my current employer needed to furlough cabin crew in the future, I would be snapped up in an instant with some Chinese airline?