Check Temps If People Fly Into Newark From Hot Spots, Mayor Urges

NEWARK, NJ — Travelers flying into Newark Liberty International Airport from coronavirus hot spots should be quarantined if they’re showing symptoms of COVID-19, Mayor Ras Baraka says.

On Monday, Baraka asked federal and state authorities to take several steps at Newark Airport when people arrive from any “high-risk” states, including a possible quarantine.

As of Monday, there are 22 states that have been designated as high-risk, Newark officials said.

Passengers from those areas should also have their temperatures checked and be required to fill out forms for potential contact tracing, Baraka told the Transportation Security Administration, the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and Gov. Phil Murphy.

Baraka’s statement comes on the heels of Friday’s request from New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, who asked that people traveling from COVID-19 hot spots to New Jersey via airplane voluntarily fill out an electronic survey, self-isolate and be tested.

• See related article: NJ Implements Quarantine 'Hot Spot' Strategy At Airports

“It only makes sense,” Baraka said. “New Jersey asks people from these high-risk states to self-quarantine and to get tested. Here in Newark, we have worked with fury and diligence to contain this virus and our daily number of new cases have fallen to single digits, if at all.”

“As COVID-19 cases and death spike in other parts of the country, it’s important we keep the virus here manageable to protect our residents,” Baraka said. “I’d like to see the airport be a first line of defense.”

Of particular concern are the number of Newark residents who work at the airport, the mayor added.

“Our people work in the service areas that come in constant contact with arriving passengers,” Baraka said. “Going to work should not put them at further risk.”

Visitors should also be aware that masks are required in the City of Newark and the state of New Jersey when they’re in public, Baraka continued.

“It may be lax where they came from, but we are going to insist they mask up,” he said.

• See related article: Newark Ready To Start Enforcing NJ's Outdoor Mask Order

Newark Airport was the site of the state’s first mandatory coronavirus quarantine in February, after an asymptomatic person traveled to Newark from China. The passenger, who was not a New Jersey resident, was transported to a location in Essex County and monitored for 14 days.

• See related article: Newark Airport Sees NJ's First Mandatory Coronavirus Quarantine

Since then, passenger totals have plummeted to "historically low" levels at the airport. But according to Port Authority administrators, travelers can be sure of one thing when they fly into Newark: "They have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, it's going to be different," Director of Aviation Huntley Lawrence conceded at a recent news conference. "Yes, it's going to take some getting used to. And no, it won't all be easy."

"I recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot anxiety for travelers," Lawrence said. "My team and I are working to implement several measures to keep all airport employees and customers safe."

Currently, those measures include mandatory face masks in public areas, vending machines loaded with hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment, and enhanced security and cleaning protocol.

• See related article: Newark Airport Adapts To Coronavirus: Masks, PPE Vending Machines

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