A rumour had been circulating since last week that the closure of thermal temperature measurement centres at the 15 airports in the United States designated since March as international gateway for airlines. A measure confirmed at the end of last week by the White House and the agencies involved in border protection - the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection - as well as the CDC, the Centre for Disease Control.
The effectiveness of unproven infection controls
According to the US government, screening using thermal temperature measurement at airports has not proved effective in detecting new cases.
In an official press release, the CDC states that ". Screening based on symptoms is of limited effectiveness because people with COVID-19 may have no symptoms or fever at the time of screening, or only mild symptoms. The virus can therefore be transmitted by asymptomatic passengers. This is why the CDC is changing its strategy and giving priority to other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of travel-related diseases" .
The new strategy is designed to be more effective by focusing on observing travellers before, during and after they enter the United States.. According to the CDC, resources will now be devoted to the following areas:
- Health education for passengers before departure, during the flight and after arrival.
- Immediate response to illness at airports.
- Voluntary collection of passenger details by electronic means, to avoid long queues and delays.
- Potential tests to reduce the risk of transmission of the covid-19 virus and movement of the virus from one place to another.
- Country-specific risk assessments to help passengers make their travel decisions.
- Staff training at US ports of entry to ensure recognition of the disease.
- Recommendations to passengers after their arrival for self-quarantine and precautions to take to protect others.
All airports can handle international flights
The main change for business travellers will be a revitalising the airline offer. The official list, containing only 15 international airportsAs a result, many destinations such as Charlotte, Denver, Las Vegas and Philadelphia were banned. Airlines such as British Airways and Lufthansa were forced to delay the resumption of flights to these cities.
Another important change is that airports will now manage health protection measures themselveswith the possibility of different protocols from one platform to another.
The White House has also called for the total ban on travel by US citizens to a large number of destinations, including Europe, to be lifted. Recommendations will replace the previous bans.
Does this decision also have a political aftertaste? Possibly. The White House seems to be worried about the wave of redundancies in the airline industry. More than 130,000 jobs have been lost in American transport companies since January.
