Health Protection Agency (HPA) has published the policy on transporting patients between islands under medical emergencies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
HPA stated the policy was formulated to provide the procedure to be followed when transferring patients between islands during medical emergencies. The policy includes general conditions which must be fulfilled during the transfer as well as the conditions to be fulfilled by carriers such as seaplanes, airplanes and marine vessels.
The policy states airplanes and seaplanes transporting patients under medical emergencies must fulfill the safety obligations stated in the Civil Aviation Regulations and the Transport Authority Regulations. If water or food is provided during the trip, the items are required to be placed on or in front of the seat before passengers embark on the plane or vessel. Any safety information documents on the carrier must be laminated, and would have to be sanitised after each trip. HPA recommends safety information to be provided digitally.
Meanwhile, the policy states the person accompanying the patient and the medical assistant are required to wear surgical masks during the trip, while the patient must also wear a surgical mask if possible. The carrier has to provide handwashing facilities and sanitisers.
The policy for seaplane transfer states only the patient, the medical assistant and the person accompanying the patient are allowed on board the plane during such a trip, along with the crew. They are all required to wear surgical masks, disposable apron, goggles and surgical gloves during the trip.
The policy for airplane transfer states if any additional passengers are travelling on the same plane, the patient must be placed in the seats located in the back of the plane. Two vacant seats must be provided next to the patient in every direction, and a minimum distance of 6 feet must be ensured between the patient and other passengers. The airplane crew, the medical assistant and the person accompanying the patient are required to wear surgical masks, surgical gloves and face shield.
Meanwhile, the policy for sea transfer has the same procedure for allocating seats to the patient party as the policy on airplane transfer. All passengers on board the vessel are required to wear masks, and must embark the vessel before the patient.
The policy published by HPA also includes instructions on disinfecting the carriers transporting patients. If a body fluid is spilled on the carrier or vessel, it must first be cleaned by a dry tissue followed by a cloth soaked with soap or detergent and finally with a sanitiser consisting of 70% alcohol or bleach solution. The policy states all cleaning must be carried out while wearing surgical gloves and masks.