Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Reporter's Notebook: World Travel in the Time of Coronavirus

Jamie Dettmer

   The U.S. immigration officer shifted uneasily on his feet, and
   self-consciously told a handful of travelers exiting the fast-track
   Global Entry gate: "Oh, wait I have to ask you something. Has anyone
   traveled from China or'¦?"

   He trailed off, seemingly scrambling to recall what else he was
   supposed to ask. "Oh, yes, and Iran?" We all said we had not. When he
   appeared to think he had forgotten something, I volunteered. "or
   Italy?" "Oh, yes, Italy," he concurred.

   I responded I had, but that I had not been in the most affected parts
   of the country in the north. "Okay," he replied. And that was the end
   of my exhaustive screening at Washington's Dulles International
   Airport. There was no mention by the officer of the guidance from the
   Centers for Disease Control for all those arriving in the U.S. from
   Italy: "Travelers should stay home for 14 days after returning to the
   United States and practice social distancing."

   I had flown indirectly to Washington from my home in Italy via London,
   where I spent a couple of days to report. When I arrived at London's
   Heathrow Airport from Rome, there was no questioning, screening or
   temperature checks at all, either. There was a notice at Heathrow's
   Terminal 5 about coronavirus, but placed in such a position that it was
   easy to miss.

.