« More on the Bush/al-Jazeera Story | Main | Storm Troopers in Miami »
November 23, 2005
CDC Wants to Track All Travelers
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a phone-book-thick proposed rule yesterday that would give the federal government new powers to track the comings and goings of individual travelers and expand the circumstances under which passengers exposed to a serious communicable disease could be isolated or quarantined. . . .
The new provisions -- the costs of which would fall mostly on the travel industry -- call for greater scrutiny of passengers for signs of illness and greater efforts by airlines and others to obtain personal contact information from travelers. They also broaden the list of symptoms that would make people subject to quarantine. . . .
The proposed regulation requires airlines operating out of major airports and international cruise operators to request detailed contact information from passengers; maintain that information -- along with the passenger's seat location -- electronically for at least 60 days; and transmit it to the CDC within 12 hours of a request.
Would Americans submit to this? Of course they would, and the CDC knows it:
Officials said they are confident that the vast majority of Americans will support the changes so the government could better protect them from a major outbreak -- whether naturally occurring or from a bioterrorism attack.
After all, it's "for our own good" and "to protect us from terrorism." Who could possibly object?
Posted by Mike Tennant at November 23, 2005 10:41 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)