(TNS) -- After TSA rolled out a series of new measures Thursday to encourage social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19, Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said the agency is considering checking temperatures and thermal imaging to help screen for the virus.
Wolf, a Plano native who toured Alliance Airport in Fort Worth for a look at shipping infrastructure, said it is a possibility that passengers will be screened for elevated temperatures before they board planes.
“We’re looking at temperature checks, thermal imaging and other technologies to see what we can do to provide some layer of security,” Wolf said Thursday.
Air carrier trade group Airlines 4 America has been pushing federal officials to take on the responsibility of screening passengers for health concerns before they board.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has been particularly vocal that airlines are not equipped take temperatures and make recommendations on whether passengers are well enough to fly, something he reiterated Thursday in the company’s annual shareholder meeting conference call.