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Qatar Airways flight attendants to wear hazmat suits on flights

Peanuts, pretzels — and PPE.

Flight attendants with Qatar Airways will wear disposable hazmat suits, safety googles, gloves and masks over their uniforms to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, the airline announced this week.

The safety measures coincide with efforts to limit crew members’ interactions with passengers, who will be required to wear masks on board starting May 25.

Passengers in business class will have the option of hitting the “Do not disturb” sign if they want to limit contact. And meals in business class will be served on a tray, instead of the usual table setup, and cutlery will come wrapped.

Bottles of hand sanitizer will also be made available in galleys for crew members and passengers.

Cabin crew have been wearing the personal protective equipment for weeks now, the airline said. Crew members have received training on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and are thermally screened before and after flights.

“As an airline, we maintain the highest possible hygiene standards to ensure that we can fly people home safely during this time and provide even greater reassurance that safety is our number one priority,” said Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker.

Other airlines including Philippines Airlines and AirAsia are also requiring their crew to wear PPE.