Honolulu airport to start screening for coronavirus
The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu will begin screening passengers from Wuhan, China, for the coronavirus, a quarantine staff member confirmed today.
Honolulu is one of 20 airports nationally with permanent quarantine stations. A staff member at the station said it is among the airports chosen to screen passengers. However, Honolulu airport does not have any direct flights from Wuhan, China, according to Tim Sakahara, director of communications for the state Department of Transportation.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news briefing today that passengers would be screened at 20 ports of entry, the New York Times reported.
The CDC recommended Monday that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to any part of China, and not only the outbreak’s epicenter, Wuhan.
Chinese officials have shut down transportation in and out of Wuhan and 17 other cities in Hubei province.