Airports in the U.S. Struggle to Cope With the Crowds

(Bloomberg) -- Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was among those overwhelmed over the weekend with passengers, including many returning from Europe, who faced new screening measures hastily announced last week by the White Hosue.

The throngs of anxious travelers were a stark contrast to the increasingly loud calls for people to practice “social distancing” as a way to get ahead of the spread of the coronavirus and buy time for fragile health care systems.

As pictures of crowds and horror stories from travelers were shared on social media, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker accused the White House of failing to prepare for the fallout from President Donald Trump’s new travel restrictions.

As bad as Saturday was, Sunday “will be even worse,” Pritzker, a Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “There are a larger number of flights with more people coming, and they seem completely unprepared.”

Pritzker’s office also issued a statement that “instead of being briefed about possible challenges at our airports, the governor and other elected officials became aware of major issues at O’Hare on Twitter.”

Trump later tweeted that the medical screenings at airports were “very precise” and moving as quickly as possible. A White House official said the administration was actively working with Pritzker’s office.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said he’s seeking to add more screeners and is working with the airlines to help expedite the process.

“It currently takes ~60 seconds for medical professionals to screen each passenger,” Wolf said in a statement. “We will be increasing capacity but the health and safety of the American public is first & foremost.”

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said that some arriving passengers at O’Hare faced as many as eight hours of delays waiting for luggage, immigration, customs and possible medical screening.

Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Illinois’ other senator, said the pandemonium was a health risk for the state.

“Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it increases the risk for the City of Chicago and all who pass through it, as it contradicts current public health guidelines for masses of people to be in such close proximity to one another at this time,” the lawmakers wrote to Wolf and other federal officials on Sunday, requesting additional resources for O’Hare and the dozen other U.S. airports used for flights coming in from Europe.

Durbin also said that he had secured a commitment for O’Hare, specifically, after a call with Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House coronavirus task force.

The acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan, said in a statement on Sunday that the agency “recognizes that the wait times experienced yesterday at some locations was unacceptable.”

CBP “continually adjusts its resources as needed & will continue to do so,” he said on Twitter.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, during a press conference at O’Hare, expressed her frustration with the lack of staffing and preparedness by federal agencies and pleaded for quick changes.

“Last night we saw their safety and security was seriously compromised and people were forced into conditions that are against CDC guidance and are totally unacceptable,” Lightfoot said.

Chicago has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to stagger flight arrivals and keep passengers on planes -- with access to restrooms and food -- until there is space in to process them. The city is also trying to get all the approvals so Chicago Fire Department emergency medication technicians can help take temperatures to help reduce the backlog.

Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey, top Democrat on a subcommittee that oversees transportation security, on Sunday wrote to Morgan and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield seeking details about their agencies’ screening procedures at airports and what actions are being taken to “to stem the spread of this dysfunction,” according to a copy of the letter.

Trump announced restrictions on travel from Europe last week, leading many American citizens and residents to rush for flights home. On Saturday, Trump said the U.S. will broaden its temporary travel restrictions to include the U.K. and Ireland, two countries left out of the earlier order.

Long lines were also reported at Dallas Fort Worth and Dulles airports.

--With assistance from Shruti Date Singh.

To contact the reporters on this story: Dana Hull in San Francisco at dhull12@bloomberg.net;Tom Schoenberg in Washington at tschoenberg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, James Ludden

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