Passengers find themselves on top of each other waiting many hours, in defiance of health recommendations on “social distancing”.
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Lhe new controls for Americans returning from Europe, put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, have caused chaos at several airports overwhelmed by the influx of screening passengers.
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a ban on entry to American soil from European countries in the Schengen area. The measure entered into force at midnight Friday and will be extended at midnight Monday (5:00 am Tuesday in Belgium) to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
American citizens and permanent residents in the United States are the only ones allowed to return from the Old Continent. But they can only transit through 13 airports, the largest in the country, where hastily set up health checks – and are then asked to quarantine at home.
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Since Saturday, the mess has spread to several of these airports. Passengers often find themselves on top of each other waiting many hours, in defiance of health recommendations on “social distancing”.
A surfer posted a photo on Twitter of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where a crowd recalling the metro’s rush hour in a global metropolis is visible.
She had to wait six hours to retrieve her suitcase in addition to two to four hours of “shoulder to shoulder” waiting for customs, she said. “The police are distributing water and disinfectant wipes,” she added.
One minute of screening
The situation angered Illinois’s Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, who arrested the President and Vice President of the United States.
“The length of the queues is unacceptable and needs to be remedied immediately. Donald Trump and Mike Pence (…) you have to do something NOW. These crowds are waiting to pass through customs, which are under federal jurisdiction, “he tweeted, before adding:” The federal government has to get out of the way. “
Similar scenes took place in Dallas or New York
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Homeland Security Minister Chad Wolf Pledged To Strengthen “Screening Capabilities,” Stating It Takes About “60 Seconds” To Measure Each Passenger’s Temperature Using Thermometers . “I know this is very stressful,” he added, asking for “patience”.
According to the latest reports on Sunday morning, nearly 3,000 cases have been officially declared in the United States for nearly 60 deaths.
After long minimizing the scope of the epidemic and being criticized in particular for the lack of kits to screen for the coronavirus, President Trump has announced several measures in recent days, including the state of emergency in the country.
He also declared a “national day of prayer” this Sunday – which he observed while following a religious service streaming on the internet, many churches having decided to close their doors to the public.
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