8 votes

TSA working on plan to check temperatures at some American airports

7 comments

  1. [7]
    envy
    Link
    Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is worried about putting TSA "frontline workers in danger" just to give a "false sense of security?" Should I be enraged,...

    Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he was not supportive of temperature checking.

    "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," the Mississippi Democrat said.

    Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is worried about putting TSA "frontline workers in danger" just to give a "false sense of security?"

    Should I be enraged, or just laugh? Because honestly I just don't know anymore.

    6 votes
    1. [6]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      Neither. Temperature checks are a joke. You can have the virus and be contageous and have zero symptoms, so you would only be capturing the "obvious" cases - where people already know to stay at...

      Neither. Temperature checks are a joke. You can have the virus and be contageous and have zero symptoms, so you would only be capturing the "obvious" cases - where people already know to stay at home - at the expense of people who just have a cold or other minor illness. They were doing temperature checks on my cruise before things got so bad and I and many others still managed to catch it.

      This is another case of the TSA being the Theatrical Security Agency.

      5 votes
      1. [3]
        skybrian
        Link Parent
        I think of this as a numbers game. Discouraging some sick people from traveling will lower average infection rates a bit. Combined with other restrictions, this may make some difference. Enough to...
        • Exemplary

        I think of this as a numbers game. Discouraging some sick people from traveling will lower average infection rates a bit. Combined with other restrictions, this may make some difference. Enough to make a difference? It's hard to say.

        This seems unlike TSA's usual job where there is an intelligent enemy that will change tactics.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          Akir
          Link Parent
          Honestly, I would be all for this if they were actually running actual COVID-19 tests. I would even say that all public transportation should be doing it. But given that there is a lack of tests...

          Honestly, I would be all for this if they were actually running actual COVID-19 tests. I would even say that all public transportation should be doing it. But given that there is a lack of tests in the US and they all take time for results, I doubt that will happen.

          (Honestly, I'm not even sure if there is still a lack of tests anymore because I'm largely ignoring the news for my mental health)

          1. skybrian
            Link Parent
            There isn't enough testing by the numbers, but it seems more widespread. I recently saw an announcement by the mayor of San Francisco that anyone who is working can get one.

            There isn't enough testing by the numbers, but it seems more widespread. I recently saw an announcement by the mayor of San Francisco that anyone who is working can get one.

            1 vote
      2. envy
        Link Parent
        Either end the TSA or have them perform temperature checks. The hard data on the cost/reward of temperature checks doesn't seem promising, but it still seems like a no brainer with low travel...

        Either end the TSA or have them perform temperature checks.

        The hard data on the cost/reward of temperature checks doesn't seem promising, but it still seems like a no brainer with low travel volumes, high uncertainty and a presumably under utilized TSA workforce.

        There is a lot of hard data on the effectiveness of TSA on preventing security breaches however, and as you point out, it does not make the high cost worth it.

        1 vote
      3. stu2b50
        Link Parent
        The TSA is security theatrics, and that's what they were intended to be. Security theatrics is what the US needed after 9/11. The public was terrified of terrorist attacks (far more than was...

        The TSA is security theatrics, and that's what they were intended to be. Security theatrics is what the US needed after 9/11. The public was terrified of terrorist attacks (far more than was actually needed), and in order to rebound economically as well as just improve civilian lives, security theater was needed to assuage fears. It didn't really do anything, but it didn't need to do anything, and seeing all this fancy equipment and lengthy procedures made people feel safe, which is good public policy.

        1 vote