Illness and the TSA
May 23, 2012 | 9:32 am
#17
Join Date: Jun 2007
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I've been through a few countries where medical teams use infrared cameras to scan all passengers for fever. While I've never seen that in the US, it certainly could happen here.
Furthermore, traveling while sick exposes others to whatever it is you have. As a matter of public health, you could be detained, quarantined, fined, etc. The decent and polite thing to do (not to mention the smart thing to do for yourself) is to NOT travel with a high fever. I don't want t
get sick, and neither does anyone else.
Furthermore, traveling while sick exposes others to whatever it is you have. As a matter of public health, you could be detained, quarantined, fined, etc. The decent and polite thing to do (not to mention the smart thing to do for yourself) is to NOT travel with a high fever. I don't want t
get sick, and neither does anyone else.
May 23, 2012 | 9:52 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 627
A few years ago, I was on a flight from JFK to CDG (on AA). A woman flying with her son and husband wanted to get more leg room (a bulkhead seat), feigned some illness (hoping it would work). Even though she confessed to her deception, paramedics were called. They were going to eject her from the plane, but over an hour after the original departure time, she was let back on the plane (to a round of "boos" from the pax as she passed them on the way to her original seat).
So if this "trivial" incident was not taken lightly, a real illness (hopefully) will be treated in a very serious way.
So if this "trivial" incident was not taken lightly, a real illness (hopefully) will be treated in a very serious way.
It's been said that if 100% of pax opted out of the NoS, the lines would get even longer as the TS"O"s have to grope every single pax when the NoS is in operation. This could theoretically place political pressure on Congress to eliminate the NoS, but you'd probably just wind up with NoSes collecting dust and TSA lines extending out the door.
Has anyone ever ever been harassed by pro-TSA pax behind them in line for opting out of the NoS? "Don't opt out! You're going to hold up the line!"
May 23, 2012 | 1:24 pm
#19
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,731
Twice in 2010, due to sheer luck, I had to fly with an extremely high fever--one so severe I missed six days of work after getting home. Fortunately, the two airports I flew out of while sick (PIT and PHL) were still WTMD-only, so I did not have anything to opt out of.
Several people on this forum have pointed out that the best way to speed up the trip through the TSA moat is to make the experience uncomfortable for the TS"O"s:
- "I opt out of the full body scanner. I will maintain control of my possessions, and I will not go to a private area."
- "By 'resistance', do you mean my penis and testicles?"
- "Those are my testicles!"
So here's my question: if I had opted out of a NoS in favor of a Freedom Grope with an obvious high fever, would that have sped up the Grope? I can make some pretty sick-sounding coughs and mucus-snorting noises if need be...would this speed it up?
While I'm at it, a question about my shiny new GE card. This forum tells me that TDCs seem to have difficulty recognizing their own acceptable ID cards, however, http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...documents.shtm says:
I'm basically wondering if anybody has ever had all TS"O"s up to the 3-striper refuse a GE card, forcing them to produce another ID card...i.e., should I go ahead and bring my passport with me just in case?
Thanks!
Several people on this forum have pointed out that the best way to speed up the trip through the TSA moat is to make the experience uncomfortable for the TS"O"s:
- "I opt out of the full body scanner. I will maintain control of my possessions, and I will not go to a private area."
- "By 'resistance', do you mean my penis and testicles?"
- "Those are my testicles!"
So here's my question: if I had opted out of a NoS in favor of a Freedom Grope with an obvious high fever, would that have sped up the Grope? I can make some pretty sick-sounding coughs and mucus-snorting noises if need be...would this speed it up?
While I'm at it, a question about my shiny new GE card. This forum tells me that TDCs seem to have difficulty recognizing their own acceptable ID cards, however, http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...documents.shtm says:
DHS "Trusted Traveler" cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
It does not explicitly say Global Entry, so could a 3-striper argue that a GE card is not acceptable? (Yes, I know it has "Sentri" printed on the back side, but this is the TSA we're dealing with.)I'm basically wondering if anybody has ever had all TS"O"s up to the 3-striper refuse a GE card, forcing them to produce another ID card...i.e., should I go ahead and bring my passport with me just in case?
Thanks!
Common sense dictates that a fever of that severity indicates a contagious disease.
May 23, 2012 | 1:48 pm
#20
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,731
Many contagious people may not even show any symptoms yet.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm
Many people who have a fever may not be contagious - such as my bout of food poisoning several years ago.
Allowing anyone to play doctor and send people off for examination is just going to lead to a lot of inconvienced people while not stopping the spread of disease, especially since the terminal, escalator hand rails, door knobs, etc. are already contaminated. Now if you are vomiting in the jetway the airline has every right to deny you boarding. Only saw that once (leaving Vegas, so probably self inflicted).
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm
Many people who have a fever may not be contagious - such as my bout of food poisoning several years ago.
Allowing anyone to play doctor and send people off for examination is just going to lead to a lot of inconvienced people while not stopping the spread of disease, especially since the terminal, escalator hand rails, door knobs, etc. are already contaminated. Now if you are vomiting in the jetway the airline has every right to deny you boarding. Only saw that once (leaving Vegas, so probably self inflicted).
Maybe you should read through the new guidelines. You are not considered "clear" until at least 24 hours of no fever.
Code:
CDC recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 F [37.8C]), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
May 23, 2012 | 2:54 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Dallas, TX
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and it would completely be outside the scope of the TSA officer's duties and responsibilities. we don't need any scope-creep.
May 23, 2012 | 5:09 pm
#22
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Furthermore, traveling while sick exposes others to whatever it is you have. As a matter of public health, you could be detained, quarantined, fined, etc. The decent and polite thing to do (not to mention the smart thing to do for yourself) is to NOT travel with a high fever. I don't want t get sick, and neither does anyone else.
get sick, and neither does anyone else.I wonder how TSA would treat someone who approaches a checkpoint with a mask? If they said, "Take it off" and I responded, "I'm just trying to protect you," I could definitely see that ending in a "Do you want to fly today?" situation or worse.
May 23, 2012 | 11:05 pm
#23
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Be sure to pass that message along to street cleaner who noticed the smoking car bomb in times square - we don't want him to exceed his duties and responsibilities
May 24, 2012 | 11:01 am
#24
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Ottawa
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Contracting an illness while out in public is a risk most people take. What makes it OK for you to contract the illness while at, say, a shopping mall while it's not OK for you to contract the illness while flying? To take your argument to its logical conclusion we must have mandatory medical exams that must be passed before we leave our home?
It would be a public service for the TSA Officer to report his/her observations to the air carrier and let the carrier offload the pax under its medical authority.
If the airlines don't want sick people flying they need to evaluate passengers when the passengers board. It is not the job of the TSA to do this.
May 24, 2012 | 11:12 am
#25
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Air travelers take risks when they fly. They know there is not a 100% chance of getting to their destination safely. They know there is a chance they'll suffer a heart attack or stroke mid-flight and be hours away from proper medical help. And the realistic traveler knows that they may contract an illness while on board an airplane. If the traveler wants to ensure they can't contract an illness anywhere there's a plastic bubble they can live in.
Contracting an illness while out in public is a risk most people take. What makes it OK for you to contract the illness while at, say, a shopping mall while it's not OK for you to contract the illness while flying? To take your argument to its logical conclusion we must have mandatory medical exams that must be passed before we leave our home?
Contracting an illness while out in public is a risk most people take. What makes it OK for you to contract the illness while at, say, a shopping mall while it's not OK for you to contract the illness while flying? To take your argument to its logical conclusion we must have mandatory medical exams that must be passed before we leave our home?
me of us are saying. Put simply, If you are sick and you know you are sick you should do your best to not expose others. It's really that simple. A high fever is an indication of sickenss.
May 24, 2012 | 11:19 am
#26
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 156
There's a difference between an active fishing expedition by the tsa and someone noticing something weird and taking action. Which is why I hardly see the tsa noticing a bag of pot or crack on their x-ray machines, then notifying police as scope creep. If a person has a bag of pot crammed up their butt and the tsa arbitrarily stops them and gives them a grope, then yea, that's wrong, but when a person puts it in their carryon through the x-ray, it's no different really than if you or I, or a rent-a-cop, or a teacher, or a pilot, or a sanitation worker saw a bag of pot sitting out and called the authorities or took action themselves. Actively searching for sick people with IR cameras or something else is a fishing expedition and requires action outside of their normal activities.
May 24, 2012 | 6:33 pm
#27
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It is not really that simple. Where do you draw your line. Mrs. Ink has a very serious chronic disease that is also communicable, but not by air. Should she not fly? After all, every time she is on a plane there is a possibility that someone may "catch" what she has if the circumstances are exactly right.
May 24, 2012 | 6:52 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: in the sky
Posts: 490
Perhaps off topic... but wondering now, how much illness is spread around by the procedures of the TSA? Running the gamut from the lowly fungi of the feet deprived of shoes to whatever is deposited and transferred among the bins or is spread around by soiled blue gloves... <gag>
May 24, 2012 | 7:32 pm
#29
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It is not really that simple. Where do you draw your line. Mrs. Ink has a very serious chronic disease that is also communicable, but not by air. Should she not fly? After all, every time she is on a plane there is a possibility that someone may "catch" what she has if the circumstances are exactly right.
t a high fever (the example at hand) you should be in bed, at a hostpital, or seeing a doctor -- not on an airplane, at the mall, in school, etc.
May 24, 2012 | 7:50 pm
#30
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You avoided my question. Two of the symptoms of her condition are a fever and body aches. Now what do we do if she is symptomatic when she travels? At what temperature are you going to prevent her travel? She does see a doctor. Often.