The news hit like a bomb this morning: Julian Nagelsmann, who yesterday had to watch his FC Bayern Munich 4-0 at Benfica Lisbon in a Portuguese hotel room, has been infected with COVID-19 despite a double vaccination. His club announced that the Bayern coach will be flown out separately from the team in an ambulance aircraft.
Medical Air Service is not involved in this flight and has no knowledge of Julian Nagelsmann's state of health beyond the official reporting. However, we have carried out numerous similar flights since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and can therefore give an overview of how Julian Nagelsmann's repatriation from abroad will probably proceed.
How does the ambulance flight work?
According to the latest news, the Munich coach has mild symptoms. However, he spent the night in isolation in the hotel and did not have to go to the hospital. Under these circumstances, Nagelsmann would normally be accompanied by a flight doctor and a paramedic during the ambulance flight. The medical equipment on board the ambulance jet offers conditions like in a modern intensive care unit, so that one is prepared for all eventualities. To avoid contagion to the medical team, the team would presumably wear protective clothing. Alternatively, the sick person could be accommodated in an isolation system, but this is rather unusual in mild COVID cases.
A flight without a doctor is also conceivable: In this case, Julian Nagelsmann travels alone in the passenger cabin of the jet and wears protective clothing himself. The pilots stay in the cockpit so that there is no direct contact. This variant was apparently used when Thomas Müller was flown to Munich from Qatar at the beginning of the year after a positive Corona test. Which variant is carried out is at the discretion of the treating physician.
Will quarantine be maintained?
Yes, the quarantine regulations are not violated by such an ambulance flight. It is possible to organize completely isolated transport from the hotel room in Lisbon to Nagelsmann's home. He covers most of the distance in the ambulance aircraft. The rest of the way can be done in an ambulance, for example. The local authorities in the country of residence are usually cooperative with a professionally organized repatriation from abroad and approve the departure.
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