US: House probe says traveller screening lax as pandemic spread

As the coronavirus spread rapidly in Italy and South Korea in the first half of March, screening of airline passengers traveling from those countries to the US was lax and haphazard, potentially contributing to the pandemic’s spread at home, according to a congressional investigation. The probe by the House Oversight Committee found that just 69 air travelers, among thousands, were barred from boarding US-bound flights, and many passengers received little, or conflicting, health advice during their trips or after arriving back in the US. The investigation faults a White House decision to allow local officials in Italy and South Korea conduct thermal screenings and other checks, saying that as a result, US health and border authorities had limited visibility into efforts by American allies to control the virus’s spread. President Trump had imposed a ban on travel from China on Jan. 31, extending it to Europe on March 14.<br/>