Fever alarms, paranoia as masked passengers fly from China

NEW YORK (AP) —

In Bangladesh's biggest airport, workers held up digital thermometers to passengers' heads. A beeping alarm sounded as a passenger walking through a thermal scanner registered a fever.

On a plane ride from Shanghai to New York, nobody spoke for fear of spreading germs as flight attendants donning face masks served drinks to similarly-clad passengers.

Airline passengers making their way to and from China are navigating an eerie scene as officials around the globe work to contain a new, fast-spreading coronavirus. China has reported more than 7,800 cases, including 170 deaths, and the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency.

Several major airlines, including Air France, British Airways and Scandinavian Airlines have suspended service to China. But U.S.-based United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are still flying, though they have curtailed operations as passengers canceled trips. The pilots' union at American Airlines sued Thursday to block the carrier from flying to China because of the virus.

One woman who flew 14 hours from Shanghai to New York changed her white face mask every four hours to make sure it was clean.

“It was a bit gloomy,” said Joe Chang, a tech worker who flew from Shanghai to San Francisco after visiting his family for the Lunar New Year.

In some cases, fear is turning into paranoia. On one flight headed to China from Amsterdam, passengers protested when they realized a man from Wuhan — the epicenter of the outbreak — was on the plane, said Chris Van Heesch, a 50-year old from the Netherlands. In the end, he was allowed to fly.

At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh, passengers arriving from Beijing on Wednesday walked through thermal scanners to check for...