LAX Officials Planning for Potential Quarantines To Help Prevent Spread of Avian Flu
Los Angeles International Airport officials are deciding how to quarantine hundreds of passengers on the airfield to prevent the spread of avian flu in the event a passenger on a plane is infected with the disease, the Los Angeles Times reports.
LAX receives 26 flights daily from Asia -- more than twice as many as any other U.S. airport -- with as many as 10,000 passengers on those planes. According to the Times, LAX "could be a hot spot if the bird flu were to turn into a form that could pass between humans."
Airport officials are developing plans to quarantine as many as 1,600 passengers in four locations but to date have not determined how to shelter and feed them and provide them with enough toilets. Officials also are considering whether to use force to detain the passengers and who should pay for the operation.
The planning will involve coordination among local, state and federal agencies, as well as cooperation among passengers, pilots, health authorities and airport operations personnel (Oldham, Los Angeles Times, 10/18).