SEATAC, Wash. — Airlines are urging the TSA to start checking passengers’ temperatures as an extra layer of protection for other travelers and airline employees.
The Wall Street Journal reports the TSA will start checking temperatures at roughly a dozen US airports as soon as this week.
A Port of Seattle spokesperson said Sea-Tac Airport has volunteered to be part of the temperature check program.
A TSA spokesperson said on Saturday “no decision has been made regarding specific health screening measures at airports - including Sea-Tac Airport.”
Paine Field in Everett is using a heat-sensing camera that automatically detects passengers’ temperatures as they pass by.
There's already some pushback on temperature screenings, including from Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.
"I cannot find any law that gives TSA the authority to perform temperature checks as reported. The health and safety of our Transportation Security Officers have already been put at great risk the past few months – the Administration should not put these frontline workers in further danger in order to provide passengers a potential false sense of safety,” Thompson said in a statement.
For now, masks will become the norm. Starting Monday, anyone inside Sea-Tac will be required to wear a face covering. Many airlines are already requiring masks for passengers on flights.