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All, This missive is penned by a very angry U.S. citizen who resides in The Villages, FL. To set the record straight I DID NOT VOTE for Obama or Trump, so any partisan attack on me or this missive is out of bounds and misplaced. This is a public health issue that should be non-partisan; however, most politicians on both sides and the media do not care about America the country and its constituents … pox on their house so to speak!

Background.
I traveled from Miami, FL airport (MIA) to Paris, France airport (ORLY) on 9-Mar-2020 and have been monitoring the rapid spread of the virus and as well as the complete shutdown of Italy which is France’s neighbor. It seemed to me that France would likely restrict travel and even shut down all but essential services – which came to fruition. This was compounded with the U.S. announcement restricting all incoming travel from any EU country. So as an American, I decided to err on the side of caution and return to the U.S. pronto before essentially being quarantined in France. The airline upon which was return was booked would not allow me to change my itinerary, so I purchased another ticket from Paris, France airport (CDR) to London airport (LHR) and LHR to MIA on one of the last flights out of both France and the UK.

The American Airlines Flight departed LHR on 15-Mar-2020 and landed that evening in MIA. The Captain informed us of a need to complete a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) form before landing. The form appeared hastily put together and asked general health questions including contact information but DID NOT INCLUDE A PASSPORT NUMBER. This obvious common-sense omission was very surprising as it would have enabled cross checking and contacting infected individuals as needed. An individual could have placed fake contact information on the form which is a huge hole by the CDC in effectively processing passengers.

When the plane landed in MIA, the CDC directed the Captain to hold on the tarmac for about an hour. The CDC then directed the plan to the jetway and communicated we would de-board in groups of 20, then 10, then five. The lack of clear CDC processes and procedures by CDC was evidence of poor planning.

Two CDC representatives met passengers on the jetway, and I was asked for the form we filled out on the plane which he looked at and asked me several questions that were on the form. He proceeded to give me heath tips including washing my hands and to contact my doctor if any elevation in temperature occurred. However, NO TEMPERATURES WERE TAKEN BY THE CDC.

We were then allowed to proceed to Immigration and Customs along with a large number of passengers from other incoming international flights. The passengers on my flight collectively spent over 10 hours in very close proximity to one another. Commons sense would dictate CDC should have processed all the passengers and flight crew as one entirety as a potentially infected group before releasing a single individual into the terminal and general population. Hypothetically, if a passenger in the back of the plane was infectious the CDC would have already cleared those who proceeded and cleared Immigration and Customs. This COMPLETE CDC PROCESS FAILURE potentially allowed passengers to unwittingly further spread the virus throughout the U.S.

The reason for my anger and this overly long missive is the LACK OF COMMON-SENSE HEALTH PROCESSES and the GROSS MISMANAGEMENT BY the CDC and other supposedly responsible authorities.

What can be done by the populace to bring about positive common-sense changes by entrenched government agencies and personnel, without the requisite leadership. While operating in silos with little or no accountability, the CDC and other agencies are increasing the exposure to and resulting damage from Covid-19.

It’s easy to find fault; however, I would like to share my own common-sense approach. Three weeks ago, I purchased a digital temple thermometer for $25 and have been monitoring my temperature three times a day. Should I see my temperature elevate, I will immediately see my doctor or go to the ER. Elevated temperatures are the main leading indicator of many infections. I consider my $25 a superior investment than purchasing masks, cart loads of triple ply toilet paper. However, I’m not a health expert or an investment advisor just someone applying a bit of common-sense.

This missive seems to my only outlet and hopefully it will be amplified across our great nation to effect changes so please share. Be safe, healthy in this crazy time. Jeff