Chaos At U.S. Airports, Coronavirus Screenings, Delays, CBS News: 'Madhouse'

[appalachiablue]

- (4 mins). CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports on the coronavirus' impact on travel worldwide. Sunday, March 15, 2020.

-> NBC News, 'Madhouse': Travelers face airport chaos as U.S. tries to implement coronavirus screening, March 15, 2020.
“The federal government needs to get its s@#t together. NOW,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote as Chicago's O'Hare Airport was the scene of giant lines.
Those who came to the U.S. from abroad Saturday were met with chaos as new coronavirus screenings snarled airports around the country, forcing travelers into overcrowded lines for hours. Beth Kander, 38, returned from France to a "madhouse" at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, where she spent about five hours going from line to line. Kander told NBC News Sunday that her flight was only alerted to the screenings about an hour before landing. "When we were an hour out from landing, the captain made an announcement, and it created a lot of anxiety," Kander said. "He said you will not be allowed to get off a plane, a U.S. official will board and there will be a coronavirus update."

Only an official never boarded the plane, Kander told NBC News. Instead the captain apologized, saying information "keeps shifting" and that they would get more information after they deplaned. Passengers were packed into customs lines, asked to fill out forms, but never told what the screening process would be or when it would end. Eventually they were given pamphlets about self-quarantine, asked to "stay put" for 14 days and asked for their contact information, she said. There was no line or area to wait for those who might be immunocompromised, Kander said.

"I think the most dangerous part of my trip was being in that airport with all those people in the five hours that we had to wait," Kander said. Americans have been forced to cut vacations short and re-book flights home this weekend as Europe continues to lock down towns and cities amid the spread of coronavirus. Additionally, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would ban many foreign travelers from Europe for the next 30 days...

More, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/illinois-governor-airport-chaos-federal-government-needs-get-its-s-n1159396



- People wait to check in their luggage at Los Angeles International Airport, March 14, 2020.

- BBC News, US Airports In Disarray Over Coronavirus Screenings
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51895246

[Ohiogal]

1. We are a worldwide object of pity.

[NurseJackie]

2. And ridicule.