Caught COVID on flight back...

The_stingemeister

Have been searching old threads and can't find any on this subject. I assume I have no comeback for this, even 'though I will be forced to take at least a week off work which I didn't want to. Am I sure it was on the (Emirates) flight? Yes 95%. Steered clear of flights for the last 3 and a bit years because of covid, but took the plunge and got bitten. So annoying that I had avoided COVID up to now, and when eventually PAYING for the privilege of a flight I get it. Surely COVID tests should still be carried out? 

lisyloo

What kind of mask were you wearing?
One of those surgical jobs? FFP2? FFP3?
If I really don't want to get it I wear one of the masks that protects me (rather than one that protects everyone else) and yes I know they aren't perfect.

Why do you think covid tests should be carried out?
For the vast majority it's not a serious illness and the other effects (mental, economical, getting people to comply, costs etc.) Are highly damaging.

Were you forced to fly? by that I mean was it business?
If it was business I'd expect your employer that demanded you sit in close proximity to other people for a few hours in economy then I'd at least expect them to pay you full sick pay.

If it was a holiday then surely it was a choice to sit in close proximity to hundreds of other people for a few hours?

Marmaduke123

You can't possibly know you caught covid on the flight. It could equally well have been in the airport, in the hotel where you were staying, on a bus or in a taxi, or at a restaurant. Bad luck but you have no comeback and we are now required to live with covid. Get yourself some decent masks for next time.

comeandgo

Covid is a part of life now.  If you have had your vaccinations then hopefully you will not be too ill.

lisyloo

You aren't forced to take time off work unless your employer is forcing you to take a test (which presumably you'd agree with).

photome

no way of knowing where you caught it ( even you say you are only 95% sure) and why are you forced to take time off work ?

The_stingemeister

Afraid no mask, surprisingly nobody at all wore them, not even cabin staff. But even if I'd wore one, you would be taking it off all the time with the food and drink they play you with. I was a few inches away from the next passenger to me, as close as I got to anyone. On the way there there was a seat vacant to me. The incubation period matches up perfectly with the final flight.


If it was a holiday then surely it was a choice to sit in close proximity to hundreds of other people for a few hours?

That's very harsh, yes it was a holiday, but I had hoped COVID had subsided a little. I deliberately avoided flights in the early days back to normality because of it until now. In my opinion the airlines have a duty of care to their customers, you shouldn't go home after a trip feeling ill.

lisyloo

Your choice not wear a mask. Harsh? I'd say no.
Personally I wouldn't be eating and drinking all the time on the flight but again a choice.

I don't agree it's harsh to say it was your choice to go on holiday.
It's both a fact and it's reality now and government policy.

The airlines do provide recycling of air, but it's almost impossible to in such a closed environment especially if it was your choice to fly in economy.

No-one is forcing you to stay off work. That's again your choice (unless your employer is needing a test which you would agree with).
There are many downsides of strict covid policies - cost, non-compliance, cancel culture. It's extremely damaging.

You can blame the messenger if you want but what I have said is all factual.
If you don't want to alter your lifestyle at all and want to do activities in close contact with many others then it's practically inevitable that you'll get covid sooner or later.

The people who are the real losers are the vulnerable who have no choice but to adapt their lifestyles (or face serious ill health).

Is there no possibility of you working from home?

If not it's now something you have to factor in if you've chosen to take a job without sick pay where you can't keep away from people.

eskbanker

The_stingemeister said:

I had hoped COVID had subsided a little.

It has subsided but obviously hasn't been entirely eradicated, and is unlikely ever to be!

The_stingemeister said:

In my opinion the airlines have a duty of care to their customers, you shouldn't go home after a trip feeling ill.

Airlines have never been able to fly you in completely bio-secure bubbles, so you're always going to be susceptible to any common illnesses transmitted from fellow passengers.  The wearing of face masks, which in any case aren't the be all and end all, was largely aligned with destinations, and this continues to be the case, as per https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/help/covid-19/safety/

Wearing a face mask is optional in the UAE and on Emirates flights. You will only need to wear a face mask on board if it is required by your final destination .

Before every trip, all our aircraft go through an enhanced cleaning and disinfection process, and during the flight our lavatories are frequently disinfected. Even the cabin air is constantly cleaned through advanced HEPA air filters as powerful as the ones used in hospitals

The_stingemeister

photome said:

no way of knowing where you caught it ( even you say you are only 95% sure) and why are you forced to take time off work ?

Forced to take time off work because I haven't the strength to go back, unless that changes dramatically. Chronic fatigue and achiness. Also I wouldn't go back anyway for respect to other people...I wouldn't want them to catch it off me. Unlike others jumping on flights with no regard to the rest of the passengers.

So I'm done with flights now, but one option could be to buy 2 seats together.

eskbanker

The_stingemeister said:

So I'm done with flights now, but one option could be to buy 2 seats together.

You'd need rather more than two in order to try to create some sort of exclusion zone, and even then you'd have quite a challenge getting through a flight and a couple of airports not only keeping your distance but not touching anything that's been in contact with others, etc....

There's no harm in taking sensible precautions but hoping for a collection of entirely sterile environments is unrealistic!

The_stingemeister said:
I wouldn't go back anyway for respect to other people...I wouldn't want them to catch it off me. Unlike others jumping on flights with no regard to the rest of the passengers.

If you feel that you'd be a risk to others at your work then the obvious implication is that you'll be at risk from them too when you're there, so do you castigate your employer in the same way as you do Emirates?  One of the challenges when it was at its height was asymptomatic transmission, so relying on tests misses the point....