US CDC: "Leaving Middle Seats Empty on Planes Reduces COVID Risk by 57%"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A study has found that leaving the middle seat empty on an airplane reduces the risk of COVID-19 exposure by at least 23% and up to 57% compared to a fully occupied flight.

According to a report released on the 14th (local time) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kansas State University, this result was obtained from research on the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

The research team investigated how far the coronavirus could spread by modeling airplane seats in November last year.

The researchers explained that the findings are similar to a case study of 16 confirmed cases on an international passenger flight that lasted 10 hours in March last year.

U.S. airlines initially implemented measures to keep the middle seat empty during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic but later removed these restrictions, citing studies that showed wearing masks reduces the risk.

Delta Air Lines plans to lift seat restrictions starting from the 1st of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.