Brussels Airport’s questionnaire to determine whether those with more than 38 degrees fever can fly is too easy to circumvent, professor Dirk Devroey tells De Standaard on Wednesday.
If you still have a fever of more than 38 degrees after three measurements, you have to complete a questionnaire, which asks whether you’ve been in contact with someone infected with coronavirus in the last two weeks, and whether you suffer from a cough, shortness of breath or a runny nose.
Based on these answers, a doctor on the spot will decide whether you can still board the plane. In other words, if you indicate on the questionnaire that you are not suffering from any other symptoms, it is possible to travel despite having a high fever.
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"Given the current figures, with 300 infections per day, this measure falls short,” Devroey said.
From 15 June to 15 July, 250,000 passengers departed via Brussels Airport. Almost 2% (4,500 passengers) had a fever of more than 38 degrees, based on the first analysis of the airport's figures. "We still have no idea how many people were admitted on a flight and how many percent were sent back home,” said airport spokeswoman Nathalie Pierard.
"The odds that someone has a fever for reasons other than corona is very small," according to Devroey. "That's why high fever should be a signal in itself. It's very easy to circumvent such a questionnaire if you want to go on a trip. It's not safe to continue air travel at this time."
The Brussels Times
