Hongkong SARS procedures
 

No surprise but I can easily book business class award seats for a trip from LAX to AKL with a Hongkong connection. What worries me is the procedures posted on the CX website for Hongkong regarding taking temps, etc. Is this really a big deal?

I would be sending my daughter and granddaughter on this flight and I hate to see them stranded because the child had a fever for some other unrelated reason.

Any first hand experience? They'd be travelling the end of May.

Thanks!

As I understand it, transiting passengers are required to submit to a ear thermometer check at the transit point. If the temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius, the process is repeated on the other ear. If the temperature is still over the prescribed threshold, a temperature check is conducted with a mercury thermomenter. If after that the temperature is still too high, the passenger is referred to a medical clinic. Doctors will issue a certificate proclaiming any passenger fit to fly if they can positively ID the symptoms as a throat infection, for example.

This is how it is supposed to work in theory... and hopefully practice. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks for the reply. I read about the procedure on the CX website and I think your description is accurate. I'd just like to know if, in practice, this goes fairly smoothly or if its alot of trouble.

I transited HKG last month. The temp check took five seconds. NO problem.

I transited HKG on May 5th. The passenger loads on all carriers in and out of HKG are low and therefore there are no lines at the transit points. The ear check only took a few seconds.

Just returned back to HKG last night. They are using the infrared camera technology now so all you do is walk through a line. If the sensor shows an abnormal body temperature they ask you to go aside for a temperature reading by an ear thermometer. It was really simple, in fact if you were not looking out for it you wouldn't even know it was there.

Earcheck only at the transfer\security. Took about an extra 8 seconds.

that' right. i stoped to ask the men "dont you have to take my temperature?" before passing immigration, and he pointed at the computer display http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

-- but that's for immigration, i have no experience of transit recently

Not directly related to this topic, but I just booked an award involving CX travel as well.

Has anybody flown HKG-MNL/CEB lately? How are the procedures when arriving in the Philippines?

My other flights will be CGK-SIN-BKK - hopefully at least SIN will be of the SARS list by August and that Thai Sarsport thing won't materialize.

SIN will be off the SARS list tomorrow

Some friends and I transitted in HKG recently, and the simple temperature check via the ear posed no problems.

The only problem occured upon arrival in SYD when an asthmatic friend had a little coughing fit whilst disembarking from the plane. Next minute there's a woman in a fluro yellow vest and holding a clipboard, running up to him and pulling him aside, identifying herself as being from the Department of Health. She then proceeded to question him on his recent travels and what he had done whilst in HKG. She wanted to know about his coughing and if he'd come into contact with anyone with SARS. She took him to another room where a doctor conducted a quick medical exam - temperature, listened to his chest, and etc. - and eventually he was cleared to proceeded after they realised it was just asthma.

Don't know if Australia's screening is good or bad after that - if identifying coughing people coming off the planes is all they do, I'd be a bit worried.

I just got into HK this evening and the temp check now consists of filling out your health declaration and then walk past an infared camera to check your temp. The line moves very smoothly this way.

Transitted on the first day of temp checks 4/24 and yesterday, 5/17. No change in procedure since day one. Simple ear thermometer check. No lines at transit points. I registered at 36 C.