Coronavirus Screenings Starting In Minnesota

Add Minnesota to the list of states that are beginning to screen travelers for the coronavirus.

Just like previous quickly-spreading viruses (remember SARS, the swine flu or H1N1?), screenings are being set up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Bloomington to try to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, MSP is one of 15 additional airports that are going to start screening potentially unwell travelers for the fast-spreading virus. According to this BringMeTheNews story, while there aren't any direct flights to or from China, where the coronavirus originated, the screenings are in place to monitor travelers who might have been in China, then took a connecting flight and ended up here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The good news is, right now, the coronavirus doesn't appear to be much of a threat to those of us here in Minnesota. These new screenings won't add any extra time to your trip through the TSA security lines if you're flying out of MSP anytime soon, or even on your way back, assuming you're not head to the Far East.

It's a much different story in China, though, where the story notes that the deaths attributed to the coronavirus have now topped 130. To help stop the spread into Minnesota, the Star Tribune says MSP now has a CDC quarantine station, where medical staff can detain international travelers who may be at risk of carrying a serious infectious disease. There's no word on whether or not Rochester International Airport will follow suit and set up coronavirus screenings yet.

Minnesota did have two potential coronavirus cases last week, however, BMTN notes that after testing by the CDC, those cases were confirmed to be negative.

Listen to Curt St. John mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5
and afternoons from 2 to 6 p.m. on 103.9 The Doc