Airport, Covid-19, Crisis, Latvia, Transport
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Tuesday, 23.04.2024, 18:58
Riga Airport Resumes Flights in the Conditions of Increased Epidemiological Safety
The programme #ForbidTheVirusFromTravelling provides a set
of measures for the protection of the Airport and Airport employees and the
safe handling of passengers in order to minimize the risks of the spread of
COVID-19. In developing the programme, the Airport has consulted with Latvian
health authorities and taken into account the recommendations of international
aviation organizations.
“In order to contribute to the control of the disease and to
take care of the safety of employees and passengers, together with airlines,
cooperation partners and specialists, we have done extensive and thorough work
to prepare Riga Airport for work in the conditions of the pandemic. Additional
epidemiological safety measures have been introduced at the Airport for both
passengers and employees; we have also adapted our infrastructure and improved
the work organization process,” says Laila Odiņa, Chairperson of the Airport Board. “The effectiveness
of these measures also depends on each of us – how responsibly and carefully we
will meet the requirements. That is why I encourage us to travel ourselves, but
we should not let the virus travel,” says the Chairperson of the Board of Riga
Airport.
“I am very satisfied with the contribution of Riga Airport
to creating a biosafety programme, which currently serves as a good example for
other European countries working in the conditions of the pandemic. The
programme is based on close cooperation between the Airport, airlines and
public authorities, following the recommendations of international experts and
good practices. It covers important aspects that should be taken into account
in order to make passenger services and other Airport processes as epidemiologically
safe as possible, while taking care of both passenger and aircraft service
quality and aviation security,” says Raimonds Gruntiņš, Director
Regional Affairs, Europe, International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Given that due to infrastructure and security procedures, it
is not always possible to ensure sufficient distance at the Airport, an order
of the Minister of Transport stipulates that all travellers, except children
under the age of 7, must wear a medical mask when at the Airport. Entry to the
Airport terminal is only allowed for passengers in masks, upon presentation of
a boarding pass or booking confirmation. The Airport urges travellers to
carefully observe the requirement to wear a mask during their stay at the
Airport. The use of masks will be particularly controlled in places where it is
difficult to maintain physical distance.
If passenger has arrived at the Airport without a mask, it
will be possible to buy it at several places both at the entrance and in the
terminal itself.
To reduce the number of people present at the Airport at the
same time, persons seeing off and meeting passengers will not be allowed to
enter the Airport terminal. The Airport encourages persons seeing off and
meeting passengers to go to the Airport only if passenger needs special
assistance to get to the Airport.
Travellers are also urged to observe their hand hygiene at
the Airport and, wherever possible, to observe physical distance. There are 25
hand disinfection machines available throughout the Airport terminal, including
20 non-contact ones. Disinfectants are also available at check-in desks and in
boarding areas. There are special signs on the floors and chairs to remind
travellers of the importance of keeping distance.
To ensure the safety of employees, the Airport's customer
service workplaces are equipped with special safety glass. Airport employees
are provided with personal protective equipment: face masks, face shields,
disposable gloves according to the specifics of their work. Additional cleaning
and disinfection measures are implemented in the passenger terminal using
cleaning products in accordance with the recommendations of the Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention.
When planning the aircraft placement and boarding sectors,
the Airport will pay increased attention to minimizing passenger concentration
and using buses as little as possible. However, if passengers have to be
transported by bus, a maximum of 25 people will be transported in one vehicle.
The Airport urges passengers to get acquainted with the
safety measures on the Airport's website before arriving at Riga Airport, as
well as to carefully read the safety requirements of the selected airline. For
example, the national airline airBaltic will not allow
passengers with a body temperature above 37.8 degrees on board its aircraft.
The temperature check will be performed before the security control. Two more
temperature measuring devices will be installed in the Airport's arrival halls.
The Airport also encourages passengers to find out in
advance what entry requirements and restrictions are in force in their country
of destination.
Incoming passengers should bear in mind: if traveller has
arrived in the Baltic countries from outside the Common Baltic Space, they are
obliged to observe 14 days of self-isolation. Arriving passengers should
also remember that it is mandatory to wear a face mask or other mouth and nose
shield on public transport in Latvia.
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