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By Jeffrey Rodack (NEWSMAX)
Federal officials are looking at a plan that would require all incoming air travelers to the U.S. to provide phone numbers and email addresses for COVID-19 contact tracing.
NBC News reported that the plan is being considered by the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Homeland Security. It would apply to all air travelers arriving in the U.S., including American citizens. It would apply to everyone whether they have contracted the coronavirus or not.
The program is aimed at allowing airlines to alert travelers who have come in contact with passengers infected with COVID-19.
But Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, said such a program “raises serious concerns about privacy and misuse.”
The public health logic seems strained to say the least, because it’s not clear why information already provided on flight manifests and on booking and check-in isn’t enough,” she said. “(Officials) should not be collecting data without clear limits and safeguards to protect travelers’ rights.”
Right now, passengers arriving on international flights are asked to provide their name, nationality, date of birth, passport number and the street address where they will be staying., according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, the findings of a South Korean study, published by the CDC, identified possible dangers of air travel and the ease of transmission, Business Insider reported.
The study of a flight of 290 passengers found someone wearing a facemask all but for eating and drinking still contracted COVID-19 from one of six asymptomatic passengers on the flight.
