Major airports in Asia have responded to growing Ebola concerns by announcing new initiatives to screen visitors flying in from affected countries.
Last week, Singapore’s Changi Airport stated that it would set up screening stations throughout the airport, and direct all travellers arriving from countries with reported Ebola cases to them.
Each traveller will get his or her temperature taken, and asked to fill in a questionnaire. A health declaration card will also have to be answered, which health authorities state must include the traveller’s contact details.
“Travelers who are well but who are identified as having possible exposure to Ebola virus infection will be quarantined or put under surveillance depending on the risk assessment,” the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong International Airport has also introduced a health-screening questionnaire for passengers who hold passports from any of the affected West African countries or have travelled to them within the past three weeks.
However, unlike Singapore, this will be a voluntary questionnaire, which means that it is up to each traveller to decide if he or she wants to fill it in.
Finally, in Malaysia, travellers arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the Philippines, the US and the UK are also required to be screened prior to leaving the airport. The Philippines was the latest country to be added to the list, following reports that five Filipinos who arrived from Sierra Leone were placed under observation for the virus.
For more information, visit changiairport.com, hongkongairport.com and klia.com.my
Clement Huang
