Delta Sets Up Coronavirus Command Center, Health Protocols

ATLANTA, GA — Delta Airlines said Monday it is taking steps to keep its planes clean, and staff and passengers healthy amid the spread of the coronavirus.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a release Monday that it’s important to travel smarter and more consciously.

"For more than a decade, Delta has been preparing for such a scenario," Bastian said. "As a global airline, we have strong relationships in place with health experts including the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Federal Aviation Administration and local health authorities worldwide. We are in constant contact with them to make sure our policies and procedures meet or exceed their guidelines.

The airline's experience with previous outbreaks like H1N1 and Ebola has improved its ability to protect customers, he said. That includes the way clean and fresh air is circulated in aircraft with HEPA filters, new fogging procedures in Delta's cleaning process, how workers sanitize aircraft between flights and how crews respond if a customer displays symptoms.

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A command center in Atlanta has been created to lead Delta's international team of thousands of employees. That includes reservations specialists handling thousands of incoming calls, flight crews and Airport Customer Service agents taking care of customers, and TechOps and operations coordination teams keeping the airline moving.

"To ensure you always have access to the latest information and guidance, we have a website on the COVID-19 situation that is continually being updated with cleaning policies and actions we’re implementing to keep you safe, ways you can stay healthy while flying, and changes to our flight schedules and waiver information," Bastian said.

Delta is also offering flexible waivers, and adjusted its network in response to guidance from the state department.

On March 3, the company said customers traveling outside the U.S. will be able to waive change fees. The offer is good one time only and includes flights to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Delta said the decision was made due to coronavirus concerns. The waivers will apply to any flights between March 1 - 31 to any international destination the airline serves.

Flights have been suspended to and from China through April 30, with limited flights to South Korea and Italy, both countries with sizable numbers of coronavirus cases. Delta is temporarily suspending service between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the airport in Rome from March 11 through April 30. The suspension of flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Milan has been extended to May 20. Italian officials have put the Milan region, center of the worst coronavirus outside of China, under lockdown, the Financial Times reports.

Customers whose travel plans are affected can go to the My Trips section of delta.com to help them understand their options, including:

• Re-accommodation to flights after April 30
• Requesting a refund
• Contacting Delta to discuss additional options

Changes to Delta's schedule will be effective on delta.com, the carrier said.

Delta was operating 42 weekly flights between the U.S. and China, including daily service connecting Beijing and Detroit and Seattle, and Shanghai and Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Four more presumed cases of coronavirus have been discovered in metro Atlanta over the weekend, Gov. Brian Kemp said on Sunday.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is awaiting confirmatory testing on the four new presumptive positive tests for COVID-19 in the Georgia residents. Testing was completed Sunday at the Georgia Public Health Laboratory and the results have been submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for verification.

One person is from Fulton County, another person is from Cherokee County, and the other two individuals are from Cobb County, but they have no connection to each other. All the individuals are hospitalized, and the sources of their infections are not known, the Georgia Department of Public Health.

of COVID-19 in Georgia.

The most recent confirmed cases were in Cobb, Fulton and Floyd counties, while a sixth case in Gwinnett County is presumed positive for the respiratory disease, but still awaiting confirmation.

Globally, more than 111,000 people have been infected and nearly 3,900 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Monday morning. Of that total, more than 80,000 confirmed cases are in China, while the entire United States has 566 confirmed cases as of Monday morning. There have been 22 deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak.

There is no evidence of community spread of coronavirus in Georgia at this time, health officials said.

Read More:

• Delta Waives Change Fees For Overseas Flights Over Coronavirus
• Coronavirus: Delta Temporarily Suspending All US-China Flights
• 4 More Potential GA Coronavirus Cases Brings Total To 6

• GA Issues New Coronavirus Guidelines For Schools
• GA School Shuts Down After Positive Coronavirus Test: District

• Watch Out For Coronavirus Scams, Georgia Officials Warn
• Kroger Issues Limit On Flu Medicine And Hand Sanitizer
• Starbucks Takes Steps To Avoid Coronavirus Spread In Atlanta
• Passengers On Cruise Ship Hit By Coronavirus Headed To Georgia

Prevent the Spread of Illness

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the best way to prevent infection with any respiratory virus is to use the same preventive strategies used during a normal cold and flu season:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

"If you have recently traveled to areas where there are ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and you develop fever with cough and shortness of breath within 14 days of your travel, or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, stay home and call your health care provider or local health department right away," the Department of Public Health said. "Be sure to call before going to a doctor's office, emergency room, or urgent care center and tell them about your recent travel and symptoms."

For information about COVID-19, visit the Department of Public Health or CDC.