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Long lines at O'Hare Airport increase concerns of more spread of COVID-19 in US

  • The Illinois Governor and the Chicago Mayor expressed their displeasure with the planning and execution of the travel ban

  • The netizens are talking about the incompetence of the federal agencies in the airport

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Due to the enhanced screening procedure caused by the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak, people reported long lines and waiting time at the O'Hare Airport late on Saturday. The airport officials tweeted that the long wait was because of the people returning from Europe who needed advanced screening at the airport.
The tweet also said that the airport is requesting help from the federal partners to increase any support to speed up the screening procedure. The police officers and other personnel distributed snacks and water to the waiting passengers at the airport.

Trump announced travel ban on several European countries

The crowd in Chicago O'Hare Airport
The crowd in Chicago O'Hare Airport Twitter/ @ChiPartyAunty
President Trump on Saturday has announced that the travel ban will be spread to several countries in Europe and other parts of the world till the infection is brought under control.
According to the travel ban implemented by the President on European travel, American citizens, green card holders, and others are still allowed to return home to the US. The travel will be restricted to 13 airports in the US.

Twitter reaction to the concerning situation

The US President is being criticized for his ill-conceived plan on Twitter and other social media sites. The netizens are questioning the planning behind the travel ban. Multiple passengers travelling internationally back and forth between the countries shared the pictures questioning the situation. The passengers were in line for almost four hours and were concerned about being exposed to the Covid-19.

There are 66 cases of Covid-19 in the state with an additional 20 or so cases being reported on Saturday. The new policy has led to people coming back to the country and the airports being heavily crowded. The crowd is creating a concern for the further spread of the disease in Chicago alone. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker took to Twitter to gain the President's attention on the situation at the airport.

The Chicago Mayor was also expressing the dismay behind the unplanned move that has led to the long lines in the airport. According to one Tweet by @katyslittlefarm the immigration official said that they were doing what the president wanted them to do. The travellers also said that O'Hare was the only place with such an issue.

Related topics : Coronavirus
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