This is disastrous. Sign of hastily made, poorly planned, terribly executed policy.
Translation: The feds sprung this on us without really thinking it through.
Other airports too. Good God. You could hardly invent a better scenario for superspreading events.
Any cases of COVID in these crowds will have a far higher chance of spreading to others in these lines than if they were just allowed in unchecked.
Any cases of COVID in these crowds will have a far higher chance of spreading to others in these lines than if they were just allowed in unchecked.
There's a reason we're stopping large gatherings. The BioGen conference in Boston produced 77 infections, who then returned home and seeded communities all over the country. This is same risk, multiplied across all major EU-connected airports. Unreal.
wbur.org/commonhealth/2…
wbur.org/commonhealth/2…
Like the testing debacle, this is hugely revealing about the administration's crisis approach. Pursuing public health theatrics without thinking through the implications; and diverting finite resources away from higher priorities; thus actively putting people at greater risk.
And it is *precisely this inability to plan ahead* that has left us in the state we are today. Beyond the airports, it's also why
- Testing wasn't scaled up sooner
- Our hospitals aren't ready for a surge in case
- No prior groundwork had been laid for mass social distancing
- Testing wasn't scaled up sooner
- Our hospitals aren't ready for a surge in case
- No prior groundwork had been laid for mass social distancing
And THIS ISN'T EVEN THE HARD STUFF.
Many parts of novel crisis management is really uncertain and complex. But these particular problems...weren't hard to anticipate.
Many parts of novel crisis management is really uncertain and complex. But these particular problems...weren't hard to anticipate.
Test only for cases linked to China, it's obvious you'll miss local transmission.
Ban travelers from Europe and complicate screening procedures, it's obvious you'll spur a rush to return while pushing those people into a screening bottleneck.
Ban travelers from Europe and complicate screening procedures, it's obvious you'll spur a rush to return while pushing those people into a screening bottleneck.
Face a pathogen that has overwhelmed hospitals in China and forced mass-scale quarantine and distancing efforts, it's obvious you should have a plan for the same scenario occurring here.
Yet - none of it. None of it at all. It's mind-boggling.
Yet - none of it. None of it at all. It's mind-boggling.
And apparently no coordination with the states. Unreal.
(When we rolled out new Ebola screening procedures there was extensive prior coordination with state counterparts. This is just basic, 101-type stuff.)
(When we rolled out new Ebola screening procedures there was extensive prior coordination with state counterparts. This is just basic, 101-type stuff.)
