Grounded cabin crew get hospital training as Sweden battles coronavirus

Furloughed crew from crisis-hit Scandinavian airline SAS are taking a three-day course in basic hospital duties to help plug gaps in a Swedish healthcare system strained by thousands of coronavirus cases. The airline temporarily laid off 10,000 staff - 90% of its workforce - this month to cut costs and ride out a plunge in air travel due the pandemic and related border closures. With Stockholm’s healthcare system in need of reinforcement as cases rise, Sophiahemmet University Hospital is teaching former cabin crew skills such as sterilizing equipment, making hospital beds and providing information to patients and their relatives. The first students are due to complete the course on Thursday and the response has been overwhelming. “We now have a long, long list of healthcare providers that are just waiting for them,” said Johanna Adami, principal at the University. Airlines in Australia, and the U.S. have also enquired about using the training methods for their staff.<br/>