KARACHI, April 24: Passengers and crew of the PIA’s east-bound international flights would be required to put on face masks and disposable gloves as personal safety measures against a possible attack of Severe Acute Respirators Syndrome (SARS).

The prescribed measures are to be adopted before boarding a flight to/from China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo and some other countries.

As the national flag-carrier finally acted against the SARS threat, the crew has been told to dump the masks and gloves in a bag especially provided for the purpose, said a PIA press release. The crew would be provided with eye-coverings also, it added.

According to the release, line maintenance department has been directed to use filter/equalizer onboard the aircraft for air purification. At the moment, disinfectant is being used while cleaning the aircraft.

As a precautionary measure, the airline staff has been directed to adopt safety measures while touching or cleaning the aircraft toilets, overhead compartments, meal trays, buckles, etc.