Coronavirus: Daytona Airport Starts Screening Air Travelers from Hotspots
DAYTONA BEACH — Daytona Beach International Airport has begun screening all incoming air travelers to ensure that those from COVID-19 hotspots are quarantined.
The Volusia County-run airport is the first to screen passengers on non-direct flights as well as direct flights.
The News-Journal is providing this important health information for free. Help support our journalism. SUBSCRIBE HERE.Since the airport began the new screening procedures on Sunday, as of Wednesday afternoon 27 passengers were found to have originated from one of the nation's hotspots for coronavirus community spread: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana.
All had caught flights from those states to either Atlanta, Georgia, or Charlotte, North Carolina. They then flew on a connecting flight to Daytona Beach either via Delta Air Lines or American Airlines.
"(Daytona Beach International Airport) is the only airport in the state to implement screening of non-direct flights to our area from destinations outlined in the governor's order," said Rick Karl, airport director.
Gov. Ron DeSantis late Friday asked the state's smaller airports to assist in screening flights from COVID-19 hot zones to help reduce the number of new coronavirus cases in Florida.
American Airlines offers one incoming nonstop flight a week from New York that arrives on Saturdays, but the airline canceled last Saturday's flight as well as the flight scheduled for this coming Saturday.
Both Delta and American offer several flights a day to Daytona Beach from their respective hub airports in Atlanta and Charlotte.
The Florida Department of Health had previously begun screening incoming flights from the New York Tri-State Area as well as Louisiana at the Sunshine States' seven large and mid-size airports, including Orlando.
The screening process for incoming flights to Daytona Beach consist of asking passengers to fill out forms disclosing where they originated upon stepping foot in the main terminal. The completed forms are then delivered to the Florida Department of Health.
Those from the New York Tri-State Area and Louisiana are required to self isolate for 14 days. Those found to violate the governor's executive order could face jail time and/or a $500 fine.
DeSantis issued an executive order on March 23 requiring all incoming air travelers from the New York Tri-State Area to be quarantined for 14 days and screened for the coronavirus. The News-Journal in a report published Friday found that no provisions as of yet had been made for screening at Daytona Beach International Airport.
Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald in a news release issued on Wednesday thanked State Rep. Tom Leek, Halifax Health Medical Center and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office for offering to assist in making sure incoming air travelers are screened at Daytona Beach International Airport.
"Special thanks are in order for Daytona Beach International Airport Deputy Director Karen Feaster and her entire staff for putting this process in place so quickly," Recktenwald said.
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