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I believe there are at least three issues: 1. My guess is that you're right, the main reason this is happening is a nationalistic wish to blame others for the

I believe there are at least three issues: 1. My guess is that you're right, the main reason this is happening is a nationalistic wish to blame others for the spread. But also: 2. As other commentators have noticed, it's difficult to socially distance in an airport. On the plane itself, there is extremely good ventilation and what limited evidence I've seen suggests that transmission is low, but in airports that might not be the case (I'm not sure). 3. Air crew may refuse to fly. Of course there are many other service professions in which enormous numbers of staff are being asked to expose themselves to a high risk of infection ... but almost all of those staff are (sadly) easy to replace if they refuse, whereas pilots are not.

creato 7y ago
> 1. My guess is that you're right, the main reason this is happening is a nationalistic wish to blame others for the spread. More than half of the world's population is under lockdown within their countries, and you still think that shutting down air travel is a nationalistic wish?
- lolc 7y ago
  Isn't it curious that they make a distinction between international and domestic travel at this point? If air travel is spreading the disease, why not shut it all down?
  - Klinky 7y ago
    Because they are making the same short-sighted and overly-optimistic decisions practically every other country has made so far?
- jcranmer 7y ago
  As others point out, by distinguishing domestic from international travel, you're implying that you believe your citizens are smart, intelligent, and know not to travel, but you can't trust other citizens to do that. That implication is what it makes it nationalistic. More practically, though, is that it's a measure that can only be effective if domestic transmission is not a major cause of new cases, which is true in only very few countries right now (and I believe none of those countries have banned visitors). Enacting such a policy at this late stage is a measure that looks like you're taking a strong stance while having virtually no effect at all, and could well be an attempt to distract from your own failures to contain it beforehand. Given the way Putin has governed in the past decade, I am rather more inclined to believe that the primary goal of this measure is in fact propaganda.
  - mopsi 7y ago
    > As others point out, by distinguishing domestic from international travel, you're implying that you believe your citizens are smart, intelligent, and know not to travel, but you can't trust other citizens to do that. That implication is what it makes it nationalistic. There is no need to make up conspiracy theories. Domestic flights are essential in a country the size of Russia, international flights are not. The same thing can be seen elsewhere. For example, TAP Portugal has grounded all flights except those between the mainland and Madeira / Azores.
lolc 7y ago
> On the plane itself, there is extremely good ventilation and what limited evidence I've seen suggests that transmission is low, but in airports that might not be the case (I'm not sure). I doubt that airplanes are in any way safer than airports. In an airplane it's hard not to touch places other people's droplets have reached.

creato 7y ago

> 1. My guess is that you're right, the main reason this is happening is a nationalistic wish to blame others for the spread. More than half of the world's population is under lockdown within their countries, and you still think that shutting down air travel is a nationalistic wish?

lolc 7y ago
Isn't it curious that they make a distinction between international and domestic travel at this point? If air travel is spreading the disease, why not shut it all down?
- Klinky 7y ago
  Because they are making the same short-sighted and overly-optimistic decisions practically every other country has made so far?
jcranmer 7y ago
As others point out, by distinguishing domestic from international travel, you're implying that you believe your citizens are smart, intelligent, and know not to travel, but you can't trust other citizens to do that. That implication is what it makes it nationalistic. More practically, though, is that it's a measure that can only be effective if domestic transmission is not a major cause of new cases, which is true in only very few countries right now (and I believe none of those countries have banned visitors). Enacting such a policy at this late stage is a measure that looks like you're taking a strong stance while having virtually no effect at all, and could well be an attempt to distract from your own failures to contain it beforehand. Given the way Putin has governed in the past decade, I am rather more inclined to believe that the primary goal of this measure is in fact propaganda.
- mopsi 7y ago
  > As others point out, by distinguishing domestic from international travel, you're implying that you believe your citizens are smart, intelligent, and know not to travel, but you can't trust other citizens to do that. That implication is what it makes it nationalistic. There is no need to make up conspiracy theories. Domestic flights are essential in a country the size of Russia, international flights are not. The same thing can be seen elsewhere. For example, TAP Portugal has grounded all flights except those between the mainland and Madeira / Azores.

lolc 7y ago

> On the plane itself, there is extremely good ventilation and what limited evidence I've seen suggests that transmission is low, but in airports that might not be the case (I'm not sure). I doubt that airplanes are in any way safer than airports. In an airplane it's hard not to touch places other people's droplets have reached.