Imagine you’re walking through the airport security screening; shoes off, hat off, belt off, laptop visible, all
pocket changed removed, when your allergies suddenly begin to act up and you sneeze while passing through. An airport
siren starts to sound off, TSA dropkicks you, pins you down to the ground and a representative of the CDC comes running
from who knows where to probe you with a thermometer. Your temperature is slightly over normal body temps and next thing
you know your flight to Paris is departing without you. You’ve been quarantined to help prevent the spread of an avian flu pandemic. Luckily things haven’t gotten to the point where people have
to worry about scenarios like the one described above at the airport and thank goodness the plans to detain sick
passengers on planes have come to a pause.
According to this USA Today piece many are opposed
to plans of detaining sick airline
and cruise ship passengers, noting that amount of information needed from each passenger would be a violation of
passengers’ rights. Aside from our very valuable personal information being placed in some scary government database
critics say the plan is quite costly and difficult. Under the CDC’s plan to quarantine passengers he following would
take place:
- Government could detain passengers for up to three days without proof that they
were sick. - Airlines would store passenger and travel companion information in databases.
- Flight and ship crews with little medical training would be responsible for identifying potentially sick people.
- Other passengers will be notified that they had been exposed.
As good as the
CDC’s intentions are in keeping all the frequent and non-frequent fliers from falling ill, I too think I’m opposed to
the plan. They’ll have to come up with a plan a smidge better than this.