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Friday, March 28, 2003
Airport screening draws flak from some travelers
By Oscar C. Pineda
INCOMING passengers to Cebu are repeatedly screened for different ailments to keep the province safe from diseases, especially the fatal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), said an airport official.
Fortunately, no one has yet been barred from a Cebu-bound plane for showing signs of the illness, said Mactan-Cebu International Airport information officer Ahmed Cuizon.
He said the first screening is done at the port of origin.
Once inside the plane, passengers are again observed by the cabin crew.
“If they (cabin crew) notice anything unusual in a passenger, they immediately call the attention of the quarantine bureau,” he said.
A passenger suspected of carrying the disease is immediately referred to the Bureau of Quarantine and International Health Surveillance (BQIHS).
Upon arrival, passengers are met by quarantine officers who distribute a yellow form or the international health surveillance form.
But passengers reportedly can’t find a place to fill up the form, as there are no tables or furniture from the disembarkation area to the immigration desks.
Cuizon is suggesting to BQIHS to have the forms distributed inside the aircraft.
Sun.Star tried but failed to reach Dr. Manuel Bahandi, quarantine medical officer, for his reaction.
Cuizon said he will talk with Bahandi to iron out minor glitches in the screening process.
(March 28, 2003 issue)
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