• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  TSA  >  Coming Soon To An Airport Near You: TSA Public Health Corps?
TSA

Coming Soon To An Airport Near You: TSA Public Health Corps?

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 17, 2020August 17, 2020 10 Comments

As the U.S. continues to grapple with testing, tracing, and controlling the spread of COVID-19, some are floating the idea of a TSA Public Health Corps to help control the spread of virus at U.S. airports.

A Vision For A TSA Public Health Corps

Rey Koslowski, a professor of political science, University at Albany (SUNY), makes the case in The Hill. His prose reads much more academic than journalistic, but I’ll sum up his thought process using bullet points:

  • Problem #1: many major tourist destinations have coronavirus infection rates much higher than the states to which tourists return.
  • Asymptomatic (or pre-symptomatic) persons account for an estimated 40% of COVID-19 infections.
  • Problem #2: many Americans will not fly because they fear getting on a flight with asymptomatic coronavirus carriers.
  • Problem #3: At 3,667 coronavirus cases per 100,000, TSA screening personnel have more cases per capita than any U.S. state and any country other than Qatar.
  • TSA Public Health Corps officers could begin screening travelers with FDA-approved antigen point-of-care tests that provide results within 15 minutes.
  • All passengers, crew, airline and airport staff would be tested for COVID-19 before they enter airports.
  • Even if false-negative rate is as high as 20% with antigen test, that would still result in a far more effective way to pinpoint passengers than social distancing.
  • TSA could recruit within its own ranks, choosing those in lower-risk groups to lead this new division of the agency.
  • If Congress does not appropriate funding for this program, states can embark upon their own programs and large states like New York should do so immediately.
  • “If the U.S. Secret Service division of the Department of Homeland Security can manage to test the president and anyone who gets close to him with a 15-minute coronavirus test and the Department of Defense can manage to administer 60,000 coronavirus tests per week, why can’t the DHS manage to reorganize some of its resources to enable the TSA to test passengers departing airports in coronavirus hotspots, especially if they are major tourist destinations?”

Not So Fast…

The concept is to be lauded…indeed, the idea of contact tracing and testing is something I called upon all of us to insist from our leaders months ago. I’ve repeatedly said that rapid testing the key to consumer confidence in the airline sector. We’re probably far too late and far too large of a nation for effective contact tracing.

But I’m sorry to say I simply do not see the will nor the resources to get this done. At this point, I have no faith in both state and federal governments to set up the sort of testing facilities that could indeed accomplish much of what a TSA Public Health Corps could theoretically accomplish.

The second problem is the TSA itself. I’m not comfortable with tasking an agency that lets through over 90% of weapons during undercover tests with protecting public health. While a federal solution makes sense from a consistency perspective, spending billions to enlarge the Department of Homeland Security is not appealing.

The final problem seems to be access to testing supplies. The author of the piece hedges his bet in so many places concerning timelines and does not delve into cost. He lauds states for “committing” to purchase 3.5 million antigen tests, but the sort of volume necessary to conduct widespread testing in the United States is staggering. This should not be a problem, but it has proven a problem for months. It is still difficult to get a PCR test in Los Angeles even now. Testing remains elusive.

CONCLUSION

While access to rapid testing remains a gaping hole in the battle against COVID-19 in the USA, creating a TSA Public Health Corps does not appear to be the solution. Instead, the solution seems to be rapid and widespread testing, which continues to be a huge bottleneck no matter who administers it.

Are you in favor of a TSA Public Health Corps?


image: TSA

Previous Article Non-Stop Flights, Not Hubs, The Way Forward
Next Article United Airlines Ditches Craft Beer, Reduces Snack Box Selection

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • TSA Will Start Quizzing Pilots And Flight Attendants About Their Travel Plans

    July 5, 2022
  • TSA Abolish ID Checks

    A Perfect Time For TSA To Abolish ID Checks At Airport Security Checkpoints

    January 5, 2022
  • federal vaccine mandate tsa

    Collision Course: 40% of TSA Unvaccinated Ahead Of Looming Fed Deadline

    November 21, 2021

10 Comments

  1. WR2 Reply
    August 17, 2020 at 9:36 am

    I’m curious what the logistics would be. So you get results in 15 minutes, that’s a pretty huge queue you have to manage at the terminal. Where does everyone wait such that they can still social distance? Large areas post screening would need to be set up.

    Also, 20% false negative is pretty high. 8 or so per thousand will be infected and allowed to travel on at 3.6% infection rate. And what about false positives? With just a 3% false positive, a full 50% of those testing positive will actually be infected. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Would airlines be required to compensate those unfairly prevented from traveling on?

    There’s so many operational challenges to this. The blame the federal government shtick is getting old, there are no easy solutions until there is a vaccine.

    • WR2 Reply
      August 17, 2020 at 9:38 am

      Oops, switch false positive with false negative, it’s early.

  2. James Reply
    August 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    There have been almost no infections traced to flying — flying is safe. This is creating a (very expensive!) solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

    • PlaneSailing Reply
      August 17, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      @James, Really…… flying is how this virus spread, country to country, passenger to passenger, lots of cases of the virus being caught by flying – I saw on the BBC news a report of a study (maybe before the mask suggestion) that if a contagious passenger in a middle seat is spreading, there is a 70 to 100% chance of the people either side and in the rows ahead and behind catching . So it’s a real problem that really does exist, the majority of people have “spoken” by not flying, and at long last the government is making an attempt at some sensible remedial actions.

      • James Reply
        August 17, 2020 at 10:29 pm

        People don’t get sick on the plane itself, they get sick at their origin/destination. This is more or less proven with the air circulation from top to bottom, super HEPA filtration, and face covering preventing the SARS from spreading.

  3. Socrates A Reply
    August 17, 2020 at 1:11 pm

    No Thanks! If one looks at the breakdown of airline ticket prices, Half of it goes to taxes & fees!
    To create another offshoot of a huge bloated TSA bureaucracy is crazy! I still have to take shoes & belts even though I have a TSA pre check, which doesn’t work well all the time! If TSA can’t get catch contraband 80% of time in blind tests, how well are they going to run covid testing?

    Even with increasing covid cases nationwide the hospitalizations & deaths are still way below the supposed statistical models! So please forget the ninnies & nannies they can stay home with their masks but let the rest Of us move on! So let’s live & let’s fly!

    The Fear factor continues so state can use Force factor to run your life! Here in US the country of liberty & freedom, but now that’s regarded selfish by mainstream media & powers to be:(

  4. Petar Reply
    August 17, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    Fact that TSA misses 90 % of covert tests is a blatant, ignorant lie that is trying to accomplish what?!Author has discredited himself and whole article is a compete joke…

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 17, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      Oh sorry. 95%.

      https://abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-fails-tests-latest-undercover-operation-us-airports/story?id=51022188

      https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politics/tsa-failed-undercover-airport-screening-tests/index.html

      https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558

      https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jul/6/tsa-failed-detect-95-percent-prohibited-items-minn/

      • Jay Reply
        August 18, 2020 at 3:38 am

        The number 95% has been reported as if screeners missed all guns and bombs that went through. These were tests designed to identify vulnerability and screening equipment reliability.
        Go ahead and try to take a gun through TSA , you will find yourself on the opposite side of your statistics, caught and arrested

  5. UA-NYC Reply
    August 18, 2020 at 11:57 am

    This is the same TSA that likes to doodle on boarding passes just to keep themselves entertained and/or look competent, right?

    Yeah no thanks.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • LOT Polish 787-9 Business Class Review
    Review: LOT Polish 787-9 Business Class Krakow – Chicago August 16, 2022
  • American Airlines Announces Supersonic Aircraft Order August 16, 2022
  • Woman Allahu Akbar Cockpit
    Woman Strips, Shouts “Allahu Akbar” As She Storms Cockpit August 16, 2022
  • Krakow Business Lounge Schengen Review
    Review: Krakow Business Lounge Schengen (KRK) August 16, 2022

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines stock
    Analyst: American Airlines Bankruptcy Increasingly Likely July 24, 2022
  • Avianca 787 Business Class
    Comically Bad: Avianca 787 Business Class July 21, 2022
  • New Orleans Debauchery
    The Debauchery Of New Orleans July 29, 2022
  • Self-Upgrading Gulf Air
    The Self-Upgrading Imbecile On My Gulf Air Flight… July 18, 2022

Archives

August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.