Flying in to Miami’s airport from Europe? You might get your temperature checked
Select passengers flying into Miami International Airport from Europe will have their temperatures checked as part of the Trump administration’s temporary travel restrictions, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Miami airport is the first in Florida and the 13th in the country to be approved to accept flights from Europe and screen passengers in an attempt to identify and contain those who have fallen ill with COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus.
The restrictions went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, MIA had 10 flights arrive from Europe’s Schengen Area and also had 10 flights from the area canceled because of low demand.
A senior DHS official also confirmed Saturday afternoon that MIA and the 12 other approved airports have been given the capabilities to conduct the temperature checks during the Trump administrations month-long travel restrictions.
But not every passenger will have their temperature checked.
Here’s what you need to know:
Which countries are affected by Trump’s travel restriction?
The restrictions currently affect flights coming from the 26 countries in Europe’s Schengen Area. It will also include flights from the United Kingdom and Ireland starting at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
It requires any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has been in one of the restricted countries within the previous 14 days to fly into the U.S. through one of the approved airports.
The restrictions also ban foreigners who have traveled to one of the countries within the last 14 days to travel to the U.S. Exceptions include diplomats, the spouse of a U.S. citizen or anyone under the age of 21 that is a child of a U.S. citizen.
What can passengers traveling from Europe to the U.S. expect?
Passengers who arrive on a European flight to MIA or one of the other designated airports will go through customs as usual and will then be questioned in an “enhanced screening” by Homeland Security staff, according to the airport. The screening will include questions about the passenger’s current health condition, medical and travel history.
The agent will then determine if the passenger should be seen by CDC representatives staffed at the airport. Agents will make the decision based on DHS guidelines, the passenger’s answers or if the passenger is showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
The CDC representatives will then determine if the passenger needs to be quarantined. On Friday, an MIA spokesman told the Miami Herald that the passengers would not be quarantined at the airport. If needed, the passenger would be taken to a nearby hospital for testing.
All passengers, whether they pass the screening or not, will receive written guidance about COVID-19 and be instructed to self-quarantine at their home for 14-days, per CDC guidelines.
Which passengers will have their temperature checked?
All passengers coming from Europe who show “indications” of being infected with COVID-19 during the screening will have their temperature checked, said the senior DHS official.
The 13 airports were also instructed to select passengers at random for the temperature testing.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
