Passengers from London to the United States claim they aren’t being screened for coronavirus symptoms as photos show a nearly deserted John F. Kennedy International Airport.
One passenger told DailyMail.com that she landed at JFK on Monday morning and was given a medical form to fill out on the plane as part of the ‘screening process’.
‘I was just asked to name the cities I had been in in the last 30 days by the border official before he stamped me in,’ she said.
According to the passenger, airport authorities ‘didn’t take the form off me though and didn’t record my temperature or fill out the bottom part of it’. Instead they told her ‘to keep it’.
One passenger told DailyMail.com that she was given a medical form (pictured) to fill out on the plane as part of the ‘screening process’, but she says she was ‘just asked to name the cities I had been in in the last 30 days by the border official before he stamped me in’
The passenger also shared photos from inside the empty JFK terminal (pictured on Monday). She said she was ‘fully expecting massive long lines’
But photos show a relatively empty terminal in comparison to the recent snaking lines at JFK (pictured on Monday), which is among the 13 US airports designated to accept return flights from Europe amid President Donald Trump’s travel ban
The passenger also shared photos from inside the JFK terminal. She said she was ‘fully expecting massive long lines’.
But photos show a relatively empty terminal in comparison to the recent snaking lines at JFK, which is among the 13 US airports designated to accept return flights from Europe amid President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
Over the past few days, the Trump administration has faced harsh criticism from state and local officials who have been angered over the long lines of returning international passengers at the 13 US airports.
On Sunday, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security said that wait times at most of the airports accepting return flights from Europe have been fixed.
Wolf acknowledged that many travelers were facing ‘unacceptable’ long lines as they waited to be screened over the weekend.
He said the average wait time for screening was down to 30 minutes at most airports, but the problem had not been fixed for those arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Over the weekend, passengers at JFK Terminal 4 (pictured on Saturday) waited for hours to be processed. One passenger estimated there to be thousands of people waiting to clear customs
On Sunday, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security said that wait times at most of the airports accepting return flights from Europe have been fixed. This image shows waiting passengers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday
Wolf also admitted that the problem had not been fixed for those arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (pictured on Saturday)
‘We did make the necessary adjustments at 12 of the airports,’ Wolf said, admitting that the ‘adjustments were not made quick enough’.
When asked about whether there has been any talks about shutting down domestic air travel, Wolf said they are leaving all options on the table.
‘We continue to look at all options and all options remain on the table to address and will certainly adjust as the medical professionals at the CDC address the medical situation,’ Wolf said.
Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both Democrats, lambasted the Trump administration for allowing about 3,000 Americans returning from Europe to be stuck for hours inside the customs area at O’Hare International Airport on Saturday, violating federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that people practice ‘social distance’.
The passengers, many of them rushing home because of fears they would be stuck in Europe, were screened by federal customs and homeland security agents for coronavirus symptoms before they were allowed to leave the airport.
Long lines also formed Saturday in Boston, Dallas and others of the 13 airports that are accepting return flights from Europe. Conditions were better on Sunday.
‘People were forced into conditions that are against CDC guidance and are totally unacceptable,’ Lightfoot said.
Over the past few days, the Trump administration has faced harsh criticism from state and local officials who have been angered over the long lines of returning international passengers at the 13 US airports. The president was quick to defend his administration’s actions
Lightfoot singled out Vice President Mike Pence and his coronavirus task force for not talking with local officials before implementing the screening program.
State and local officials could have offered ‘concrete suggestions’ for how the program could have been implemented with the least disruption, she said, but the administration acted unilaterally.
‘Thousands of travelers were forced to wait in exceedingly long lines, congregating in concourses and putting themselves and their loved ones at greater risk of exposure,’ Lightfoot said.
Texas Gov Greg Abbot, a Republican and strong supporter of the president, tweeted Sunday that the lines in Dallas are ‘unacceptable & I’m working hard to get it fixed’.
Not every US airport accepting European arrivals experienced overcrowding. Airports serving Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey, reported short lines at customs Saturday and Sunday.
Trump was quick to defend his administration’s actions in a tweet on Sunday.
‘We are doing very precise Medical Screenings at our airports. Pardon the interruptions and delays, we are moving as quickly as possible, but it is very important that we be vigilant and careful. We must get it right. Safety first!’ he wrote.