Mexico airports to take passengers’ temperature

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP), which operates 12 airports throughout Mexico’s Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz, and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Bajio, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali, and Los Mochis, announced today the following:

As a result of the health emergency that is developing globally, mainly in the United States and Mexico, due to the spread of the swine flu virus, GAP is working with the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) and the Federal Health Department (SSA) to establish special health vigilance measures at the airports. This is due to the epidemiological alert level, which has been raised from a ‘Phase 3’ to a ‘Phase 4’ and currently to a ‘Phase 5’ alert, which implies containment of the virus, whereas ‘Phase 3’ only implied strengthening the response capacity to the virus.

As a result, GAP will immediately implement two review mechanisms, which are:

– Systematic examination of travelers at risk via the distribution of a survey to 100 percent of passengers prior to boarding, and

– Verification of body temperature with a digital measurement camera, survey, and visual revision to those that board an international flight and proceed with health alert proceedings.

With this revision, GAP seeks to minimize the effects on passenger comfort. In addition, GAP is analyzing more practical options in which high technology can be easily implemented in order to avoid actual physical contact with the passengers and enhancing the response rate as not to prolong waiting times at the airports.

GAP continues to widely recommend that passengers arrive at the airport two hours prior to departure for domestic flights and three hours prior to departure for international flights.

These steps have been taken at all Mexican airports. The objective of these actions is to contain the virus and give airports the ability to provide passengers with a safety measure in order to promote Mexico’s attractiveness as a tourist and business destination, while strengthening contingency plans until the situation returns to normal levels.

With the implementation of these additional measures, GAP seeks the cooperation of all passengers, given the significant health crisis. Any action taken will most certainly benefit everyone and will help in overcoming this problem currently affecting Mexico. As this is a contingency, it is subject to change. GAP will continue to update the market as necessary.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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