The Eerie Desolation of Major Bay Area Airports During Coronavirus Shelter-in-Place

Bay Area as well as global air travel has ground to a near standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The once-bustling terminals at San Francisco International Airport, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport and Oakland International Airport were nearly deserted this week as the Bay Area is on day 23 of its lockdown. Only a handful of travelers were seen at each airport, and boards showed many flights canceled. The scene was somewhat eerie and apocalyptic and seemed to drive home the severity of the outbreak.

All airports are providing services including food and beverage to those who must travel, and have implemented social distance guidelines, signage and personal protective equipment (PPE) for their employees. They’ve increased the frequency and extent of deep cleaning and sanitization efforts throughout the terminals with emphasis on high touchpoint areas. At Oakland International Airport, they’re planning to implement audio messaging terminal-wide later this week with a reminder to practice social distancing.

While travel that is deemed “non-essential” is discouraged, our local airport’s role is to provide a safe infrastructure as directed by state and local authorities.

On the positive side, there’s no traffic, plenty of parking and flights have come way down in price.

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