Officials at Los Angeles International Airport have allegedly not begun screening passengers arriving from South Korea, where coronavirus has rapidly spread.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said in a tweet that people traveling from high-risk countries would be screened upon arrival in the US.
Katie Miller, spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, later clarified that, in addition to passengers from China who already undergo screenings, this would include travelers from Iran, Italy and South Korea.
But Arnold Hur, chief operating officer for e-sports companies Gen.G and Seoul Dynasty, said he was not examined when he landed in California on Monday morning.
‘Just landed in LA from Seoul, Korea,’ Hur tweeted.
‘Despite all the noise about a government response there were zero screening or temperature checks. Feels like #coronavirus is just getting started in the US.’
Arnold Hur, chief operating officer of Gen.G and Seoul Dynasty, tweeted (pictured) that he flew from Seoul, South Korea to Los Angeles on Monday
Hur said that when he deplaned, there were no screenings or temperature checks at Los Angeles International Airport. Pictured: A flight crew from Korean Airlines, wear face masks at LAX, February 29
Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and more than 3,000 people have died.
LAX was one of the five original airports designated for screenings when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first began implementing them in January.
Passengers were taken to secure rooms before they reached any customs lines so that the effect on foot traffic was minimal.
At first, the checks were only performed on people flying in from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Currently, all passengers who’ve been in mainland China over the prior 14 days are subject to screening at US airports.
No other country appears to have the same restrictions.
On Saturday, the US State Department issued a Level 3 Reconsider Travel warning for South Korea and Level Do No Travel warning for the city of Daegu, where mot transmission has occurred.
Daegu is about a three-and-a-half hour flight south of the capital of Seoul, which is where Hur said he boarded to return to the US.
LAX Public Relations Division told DailyMail.com that it could neither confirm nor deny that passengers on Hur’s flight weren’t screened.
‘[Choosing which planes are screened is] totally up to the CDC’s discretion and how they’re identifying the risk,’ a spokesperson said.
While it might sound concerning that passengers from other countries are not being subjected to screenings, a CNN investigation found that not a single US coronavirus case has been caught by temperature checks at airports.
South Korea has the most cases outside of China, with at least 4,335 confirmed cases and around 26 deaths. Pictured: Coronavirus patients are moved from Daegu medical center in South Korea, March 2
To control the virus’s spread, new school term across of South Korea has been delayed by one week, and three weeks in Daegu. Pictured: Coronavirus patients are moved from Daegu medical center in South Korea, March 2
At least 10 people flew into US airports on commercial airliners, and were diagnosed with coronavirus later on.
Four of those 10 – two at LAX – underwent temperature checks and didn’t have a fever or other symptoms of the disease.
Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected with the virus and more than 3,000 people have died.
In the US there have been 89 confirmed cases and two deaths, both reported in Washington state.
South Korea is the country with the most cases outside of China, with 4,335 people infected and around 26 deaths.
To control the spread of the virus, the new school term across of South Korea has been delayed by one week, and three weeks in Daegu.
In addition, the US and South Korean militaries have postponed upcoming joint exercises until at least June.