The sudden return of US citizens and permanent residents created havoc at the major airports.
The coronvirus outbreak prompted the US government to urge its citizens sojourning in Europe to come back before travel restrictions came into effect. The ultimatum caused unusually large numbers of travelers to crowd airports that were unprepared and thus understaffed for this surge. As a result, travelers had to wait in long lines before medical screening and immigration, thereby breaking all rules of safe distancing during a pandemic.
Video Spotlight: Exasperatingly long wait lines at DFW
Read the NPR.org article, Travelers Greeted with Hours-Long Airport Lines as Coronavirus Screenings Begin, by B. Allyn, March 15, 2020.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the factors that contributed to long lines?
- Keeping in mind the urgency of the situation, what measures could have prevented such a chaos?
- Besides the psychological impact of waiting for a long time, what are the potential physiological impacts?
- Please respond to at least two of your peers as well.