AfricaPress-Tanzania: PERSONNEL at eight international airports within the six East African Community (EAC), Partner States are set to receive rigorous training on prevention and detection methods of the deadly Covid-19.
The training which starts anytime this month, seeks to equip the airport staff with the required skills of intercepting several Corona virus susceptible travelers through intensified surveillance and screening will jointly be facilitated by the EAC Secretariat, the EAC Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) and AMREF Flying Doctors (AFD).
The training also aims to enhance awareness of national and airport emergency preparedness and response plans, public health capacities at the airports and prevention and surveillance of the spread of Covid-19 in and out of the region through airports.
“Investments in strengthening surveillance, building robust early-warning systems and coordinating public health responses of international airports will help to detect and respond to Covid-19 and prevent further spread,” observed CASSOA Director, Mr Emile Nguza Arao, in a statement released to media houses here yesterday.
According to Mr Arao, the training will build on improving existing frameworks and resources to develop more robust emergency management systems and procedures while at the same time facilitating airport collaboration.
Human mobility across countries, largely driven by air travel, has been one of the main vectors that facilitated the rapid spread of Covid-19 across the world, and many of the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the EAC region have also had a history of air travel.
EAC’s Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Christophe Bazivamore revealed that such a training programme was communicated to and was commended by the Joint Ministerial Meeting for the Ministers responsible for Health and Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs on the Covid-19 pandemic preparedness and response on March 25 this year.
The meeting, according to the EAC Deputy SG directed the EAC Secretariat to ensure implementation facilitation of such measures across borders intending to stop the spread of the pandemic in the region.
“Therefore, the EAC Secretariat appreciates that this EAC planned programme is now ready to start,” he said.
While past capacity building and awareness measures primarily focused on port health staff, the training will involve a wide range of staff with close contact to passengers and their luggage, such as airport medical service providers, aircraft operators, selected crew members, staff at immigration and customs, cargo and baggage handlers, air navigation services and airport rescue and firefighting providers.
It composes of two courses at each of the eight international airports in the EAC Partner States.
Topics will include among others, “the airport as a “red zone” –recognition of hot zones in the airport and measures to identify and demarcate these areas”; “quarantine and isolation of passengers” and “decontamination of aircraft and airport areas”, part of the statement read.
The training’s course design and curriculum development will be based on the International Health Regulations, best practices of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control as well as the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
