TSA May Soon Start Screening Airline Passengers for Fever
TSA May Soon Start Screening Airline Passengers for Fever
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is close to starting a pilot program to check airline passengers for fever as a new layer of protection against the coronavirus.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske supports the idea and the agency is awaiting approval from the White House, one person familiar with the discussions said. The person asked not to be named in discussing sensitive matters.
Not only would checking for sick passengers provide a potential health benefit, but it comes as a dramatic drop in passenger traffic has lowered the workload for the nearly 50,000 TSA screeners and devastated the airline industry.
“At this time, no decision has been made regarding specific health screening measures at airports,” the TSA said in a statement. The agency has seen 564 of its employees test positive for Covid-19, including six who died, according to its website.
The agency is continuing to consult with the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well and airport and industry officials, the agency said.
The White House did not immediately comment.
Checking for feverish passengers would be the latest step to lower risk of infections and to reassure people that it’s safe to travel.
The number of people willing to fly has plunged as states ordered people to stay at home. In mid-April, passenger levels reached a low of about 4% compared to the same period in 2019. Since then, the levels gradually climbed, but are still less than 10% of a year earlier.
As a result, airlines are losing money even with a $50 billion federal aid package.
Large carriers in the U.S. in recent weeks have phased in requirements that passengers cover their faces, though several have informed employees that they shouldn’t demand compliance. Flight attendants are also required to wear masks.
But social media has been filled with complaints about packed flights and inconsistent protective measures. Airline unions have also said that disinfection of aircraft and other actions aren’t always consistent with CDC guidelines.
Airlines for America, a trade group representing large carriers, has been pushing TSA to screen temperatures for at least two weeks. The group endorsed such a move on May 9 in a press release. It declined to comment on Friday.
A powerful lawmaker Friday night said he opposes such an action. Representative Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said he couldn’t find a legal justification for TSA to check people’s health.
“The health and safety of our transportation security officers have already been put at great risk the past few months,” Thompson said in a press release. “The administration should not put these front-line workers in further danger in order to provide passengers a potential false sense of safety.”
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the administration is preparing to check passengers’ temperatures.
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