Extra screening for Ebola starts at Hartsfield-Jackson
Passengers from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia face extra screening at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport starting Thursday, including having their temperature taken and answering questions.
At the Atlanta airport early Thursday morning, passengers from Lagos, Nigeria, where the Centers for Disease Control says the Ebola outbreak has been contained, said they were screened before arriving at the Atlanta airport. Passengers reported having their temperature taken before departing and answering a questionnaire.
Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Miguel Southwell said there are an average of about five passengers from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia arriving in Atlanta daily, and passengers from Nigeria will be monitored.
Adebayo Olawunmi, who traveled from Lagos, said he answered the questionnaire before arriving about health status, where he has traveled and what kind of contact he has had, adding that the screening he experienced was “nothing special.” In Nigeria, he said, “the scare has really gone down.”
Alaba Olufemi, who also arrived from Lagos on Thursday morning, said there is “much concern for those that are traveling,” but said she is confident “we’ll be able to nip it in the bud.”
In Nigeria, “everyone was very careful,” said her husband, Ojo Olufemi. “If that has happened here, I believe [Ebola] won’t last.”
About the Author
As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.
