Mask or No Mask?

I've safely made it to Kunming! The flight was uneventful--just the way I like it! I noticed that about 30% of the passengers on my flight were waring masks. The woman sitting next to me had her mask on for the entire 16 hours we were on the plane. The passenger on my other side asked the flight attendant for a mask and only wore it for a total of about 6 hours. She and I talked for a while in Chinese and English, after she got comfortable with me she strongly advised that I request a mask. I didn't, maybe I was foolish--we'll see. I figured I would look a bit suspicious wearing an sleeping mask over my eyes and a face mask.

When I was passing through the terminal in the Hong Kong airport I saw signs that read, "Remove your hats for thermal readings." I remember seeing a report on CNN before I left that U.S. airports were going to start buying thermal imagers to help curb the spread of epidemics. Sure enough after walking about 30 feet, I came across a bank of health officials intently scanning monitors that read the temperatures of each passenger. How does it work? Thermal images read the surface temperature of people's skin. If a passenger has higher than normal temps they are quarantined. After that? I have no idea what happens.

This swine flu is crazy. The authorities want to curb another SARS like epidemic. Coincidentally I was in Vietnam and Hong Kong back in late 2002, early 2003 when SARS first hit. I remember thinking I dodged a bullet then. SARS was going around HK, but health officials didn't really have a grasp on it till early 2003.

On my way to Kunming I was required to fill out a health declaration form that asked where I had been prior to arriving in China, how long I planned to stay, places I intended visiting, local contact information, and a list of symptoms. Shortly after we touched down, 8 health inspectors boarded the plane to check the passengers. To my surprise they took about 30 minutes scanning each passenger with a thermal scanner that they held to your forehead to record each individual's temp. OUr body temps were recorded on the forms we had filled out. We were not allowed to leave the plane until every single passenger had been cleared. Yikes! Thankfully the flight was only about a third full. I don't think anyone was quarantined, but we did have undergo another line of questioning by health inspectors after deplaning.

All this brings back memories of flying from Africa to Europe. In case you've never done it--shortly after take-off airline stewards go down each aisle holding a spray can of disinfectant in each hand spraying away. The entire cabin is filled with a mist of lemon scented germ killer. I've never experienced this on a flight from Europe, the U.S. or Asia (I don't know about Latin America). I remember the first time I saw this--I was almost in tears because it's clearly a racist practice. In essence the airlines assume passengers who've been to Africa are chocked full of bacteria and germs and therefore need to be cleaned before leaving the continent. Ironically, the various flu outbreaks that have hit Asia, Latin America and North America have missed Africa. It looks like Africa has been spared.

FYI: The Chinese consulate in the US also has visa applicants fill out health declaration forms. I didn't pay attention to it at the time, but in case you plan on traveling here, fill out the entire form.