• About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
  • Covid-19
  • News
    • All
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • World
    FBI Director Says Domestic Extremism ‘Metastasizing’ Around The Country

    FBI Director Says Domestic Extremism ‘Metastasizing’ Around The Country

    Top racing trainer Gordon Elliott apologizes over photo of himself sitting on a dead horse

    Horse racing faces fresh scrutiny after footage appears of a jockey posing on a dead horse

    6 Dr. Seuss Books Will No Longer Be Published Over Offensive Images

    6 Dr. Seuss Books Will No Longer Be Published Over Offensive Images

    Molly-Mae has now been found in breach of the Advertising Code for her online competition

    Molly-Mae Hague breaks advertising code for Instagram giveaway

    Elizabeth Warren rips stock buybacks as 'nothing but paper manipulation'

    Elizabeth Warren rips stock buybacks as ‘nothing but paper manipulation’

    This is the car that golf legend Tiger Woods was driving when seriously injured in a rollover accident on Tuesday.

    Tiger Woods Faces Tough Recovery From Leg Injuries Sustained In Car Crash

    Marissa Mayer Missed a Big Meeting by Over-Napping: What Entrepreneurs Should Take From Her 'Woops' Moment

    Marissa Mayer Missed a Big Meeting by Over-Napping: What Entrepreneurs Should Take From Her ‘Woops’ Moment

    Trump blasts GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach: 'Get rid of them all'

    Trump blasts GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach: ‘Get rid of them all’

    Sabres' Eichel day-to-day; Ullmark still out

    Sabres’ Eichel day-to-day; Ullmark still out

    John Oliver Unloads on ‘Colossal Asshole’ Andrew Cuomo

    John Oliver Unloads on ‘Colossal Asshole’ Andrew Cuomo

  • Science & Tech
    • All
    • Mobile
    Best Cheap Wireless Keyboard Deals for March 2021 | Digital Trends

    Best Cheap Wireless Keyboard Deals for March 2021 | Digital Trends

    6 steps to build a data-driven company, according to experts

    6 steps to build a data-driven company, according to experts

    Xiaomi Mi 11 back against floor

    Xiaomi, not Samsung or Apple, is taking advantage of Huawei’s woes in Europe

    'DarkModeBuddy' is a new Mac app for automating Dark Mode switching based on ambient light - 9to5Mac

    ‘DarkModeBuddy’ is a new Mac app for automating Dark Mode switching based on ambient light – 9to5Mac

    A powerline tower in a grassy field.

    Hackers tied to Russia’s GRU targeted the US grid for years

    Microsoft’s Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows includes touch controls, gyro, and more

    Microsoft’s Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows includes touch controls, gyro, and more

    FDA advisors endorse Janssen's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine

    FDA advisors endorse Janssen’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine

    Facebook apologizes for 'mistake' in threatening to ban 81-year-old woolen pig knitter for hate speech

    Facebook apologizes for ‘mistake’ in threatening to ban 81-year-old woolen pig knitter for hate speech

    How will NASA's Perseverance rover engineers pilot first helicopter on Mars?

    How will NASA’s Perseverance rover engineers pilot first helicopter on Mars?

    Sir David Attenborough narrates the "exhibits" in this AR iPhone app

    Sir David Attenborough narrates the “exhibits” in this AR iPhone app

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

    Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

    How Did Every Buzzy Film Become ‘The Movie We Need Right

    How Did Every Buzzy Film Become ‘The Movie We Need Right Now’?

    David Crosby on dinner with Joni, Phoebe Bridgers and the 50th anniversary of his haunted solo debut

    David Crosby on dinner with Joni, Phoebe Bridgers and the 50th anniversary of his haunted solo debut

    Why Fox News is having a day-long meltdown over Dr. Seuss

    Why Fox News is having a day-long meltdown over Dr. Seuss

    What Jeffrey Epstein did was vile. Why Dasha Nekrasova made a horror movie about it

    What Jeffrey Epstein did was vile. Why Dasha Nekrasova made a horror movie about it

    Morgan Wallen fans vote him back onto Tennessee radio after racist-slur controversy

    Morgan Wallen fans vote him back onto Tennessee radio after racist-slur controversy

    The 2021 Golden Globes proved we no longer need the Golden Globes

    The 2021 Golden Globes proved we no longer need the Golden Globes

    Melissa Trueblood, who has worked for the Golden Globes for 20 years, is helping put together a show for the history books.

    A Golden Globes production veteran explains how to put together a show during a pandemic

    Lawyer for Britney Spears' dad defends him, but #FreeBritney fans aren't having it

    Lawyer for Britney Spears’ dad defends him, but #FreeBritney fans aren’t having it

    Why 'Small Axe' is the Golden Globe nominee you need to catch up on first

    Why ‘Small Axe’ is the Golden Globe nominee you need to catch up on first

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    Spoon By H, a Korean restaurant and café closed its doors on Saturday, Feb. 27, after it shared Instagram posts detailing its struggles with fighting refund requests it deemed fraudulent. (Google Maps)

    Restaurants are reportedly being hurt by refund request scams

    12 fashion and beauty brands that give back to women

    12 fashion and beauty brands that give back to women

    What you need to know before you take a road trip this spring

    What you need to know before you take a road trip this spring

    Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened March 1 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

    Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened March 1 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

    Why East L.A. community members still worry about the future of a beloved tree

    Why East L.A. community members still worry about the future of a beloved tree

    When can we go on vacation again? This is what experts say

    When can we go on vacation again? This is what experts say

    Style Picks: Everything On Our March Wish List

    Style Picks: Everything On Our March Wish List

    Emmanuel Faber - stepping down from CEO role

    Emmanuel Faber to stand down as Danone CEO amid investor pressure

    Prince Harry revealed that he and Meghan began their relationship "upside-down," in that they dated in private at first, before revealing themselves to the public as a couple.

    Queen Elizabeth bought grandson Archie a waffle maker for Christmas, Prince Harry says

    NBC’s “78th Annual Golden Globe Awards” - Winners Press Experience

    Is Nomadland now the Oscar frontrunner for Best Picture? It’s complicated.

46 °f
Chicago
33 ° Thu
33 ° Fri
33 ° Sat
35 ° Sun
No Result
View All Result
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Travel

COVID-19 restrictions can be a guessing game for airline crews

by Staff Writer
January 22, 2021
in Travel
Reading Time: 4min read
0
COVID-19 restrictions can be a guessing game for airline crews
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter



I’m a flight attendant for a legacy U.S. airline and am writing from a hotel room in Panama City, Panama. Today is Jan. 11. The situation here is not good. As of yesterday, the Panamanian Ministry of Health has recorded 279,196 total cases of COVID-19.

Related posts

What you need to know before you take a road trip this spring

What you need to know before you take a road trip this spring

March 3, 2021
When can we go on vacation again? This is what experts say

When can we go on vacation again? This is what experts say

March 2, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes destinations according to risk:

• Level 1: Low level of COVID-19

• Level 2: Moderate level of COVID-19

• Level 3: High level of COVID-19

• Level 4: Very high level of COVID-19

Panama is currently at level 4. On its website, the CDC’s warning is clear: “Travelers should avoid all travel to Panama.”

Yet here I am, along with two pilots and three flight attendants who worked a flight from Miami the previous night. The Airbus 321S we flew in on is configured with 179 seats; 108 were unoccupied.

After I arrived at Tocumen International Airport, a weary immigration official stamped my passport. With a languid hand gesture, he directed me to the exit. But when I looked over my shoulder, I realized my crew was not behind me in the queue. They were being detained in a far corner of the immigration area by medical personnel wearing white lab coats.

When I realized my colleagues were being processed at a COVID-19 checkpoint, which I had somehow been allowed to bypass, I did something I’ve never done in 35 years as an international flight attendant. I turned around and walked back through the immigration checkpoint, exiting the country I had legally entered.

My temperature was taken by medical personnel. I signed a document stating I had no COVID-19 symptoms. I provided my hotel and cellphone numbers for contact tracing. Then, for the second time in 20 minutes, I approached the immigration checkpoint.

The official nodded and waved me through.

At the Sheraton Grand Panama, the entrance, lobby and adjoining areas were deserted. A lone front-desk clerk pushed our room keys through a slot in a tall plexiglass barrier. Due to a government-imposed lockdown, she said, “All restaurants in the city closed at 9 p.m.” This includes hotel restaurants. Because we arrived after 9 p.m. there was no food available. Anywhere. And no room service until 7 a.m. the next day. It’s my fault for not remembering to bring food from home.

So this morning, after a long-awaited breakfast, I called the front desk to ask whether guests were allowed to venture outside the hotel. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, I was told, “Only women are allowed to go outside today. Men can go out tomorrow and the women must stay home.”

Baffled, I ended the call and logged on to the U.S. Embassy in Panama website. Sure enough, in an effort to fight the spread of the coronavirus the Panamanian government has issued gender “movement” restrictions.

Women are allowed to enter shopping locations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Men can do the same on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The country is on full lockdown from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday.

Because today is Monday, the one woman on my crew is allowed to shop. The five men — our captain, first officer, myself and the other flight attendants — are free to leave the hotel but are banned from retail establishments. (As it turns out, the information gleaned from the hotel front desk had not been completely accurate.)

The restrictions in Panama are as fluid as in other countries. In Brazil, for example, crew members were told to remain on hotel property. We were allowed to leave our rooms but not the hotel grounds.

On Dec. 30 the restrictions intensified because of an uptick in COVID cases. The following message was sent by our labor union to some 20,000 flight attendants:

“Effective immediately, all crews flying to [Rio de Janeiro] and [Saõ Paulo] will be required by the Brazilian Government to fill out a Travelers Health Declaration Survey which must be completed 72 hours prior to entry … Additionally, crew members will not be permitted to leave the hotel other than to and from the airport in company provided transportation.”

But that message was immediately amended. During separate calls to the union and my flight attendant supervisor, I learned that crews laying over in Brazil cannot, under any circumstances, leave the confines of the hotel room. Nevertheless, my colleagues there tell me the restriction is not being enforced.

COVID restrictions are continually evolving at home and abroad. And there are plenty of holes in the system. Because flight attendants like me are potential COVID-19 super spreaders — capable of infecting passengers and crew on multiple flights to hundreds of destinations in a short period of time — it’s up to us to strictly follow protection protocols. Wash hands often. Wear masks at all times. And remain alone in your hotel room for as long as local regulations require.

Which is precisely what I’ve done for the last 30 hours in Panama City.

Tomorrow, I fly one leg to Miami. Three hours later, I’ll work a flight to Lima, Peru. According to the U.S. Embassy website, “All travelers arriving to Peru must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.”

I’m almost certain this ruling does not apply to U.S.-based airline crews. But like all COVID-19 restrictions, it could change. I might spend the next two weeks holed up in a Lima hotel, writing about the effects of long-term quarantine.



Source by www.latimes.com

Share196Tweet123Share49
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Van Morrison teams with Eric Clapton for anti-lockdown song

Van Morrison teams with Eric Clapton for anti-lockdown song

December 19, 2020
Sen. Rand Paul's ‘Festivus Report’ claims $54B in tax dollars was 'totally wasted'

Sen. Rand Paul’s ‘Festivus Report’ claims $54B in tax dollars was ‘totally wasted’

December 23, 2020
'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

‘Zombie’ greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

December 24, 2020
Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

0
Fact check: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would defer his annual raise

Fact check: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would defer his annual raise

0
Swedish government sidelines epidemiologist who steered country's no lockdown experiment as deaths rise

Swedish government sidelines epidemiologist who steered country’s no lockdown experiment as deaths rise

0
Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

Texas, Mississippi end mask mandates; Senate taking up stimulus bill, $1,400 checks: Live COVID-19 updates

March 3, 2021
Yahoo News

Lawyer of wife of ‘El Chapo’ called Univision journalist an ‘idiot’ on live television

March 3, 2021
How Did Every Buzzy Film Become ‘The Movie We Need Right

How Did Every Buzzy Film Become ‘The Movie We Need Right Now’?

March 3, 2021
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us Page
  • Contact
  • DMCA Policy
  • Home 1
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit, Guest Post, Write For Us and Become a Contributor
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.