KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SCREENING AND PASSENGER UPDATES
KEY WEST – Key West International Airport continues to operate, pursuant to and consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration. There has been a significant decrease in commercial air travel due to COVID-19. For example, a flight that arrived Friday was scheduled to carry 27 passengers, but arrived with only seven people, five of whom were a family with three children. All were property owners in Monroe County.
Of the five commercial flights today, 18 passengers arrived into Key West and 62 passengers departed.
Florida Department of Health in Monroe County and Key West International Airport have implemented state-directed screening, which includes a separate facility and isolation area. Passengers fill out the Dept. of Health-required questionnaire, have their temperatures taken, and are provided the Executive Order 20-82. Anyone coming from an airport directed by the order is required to quarantine themselves for 14 days. The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County trained Monroe County Fire Rescue to provide the follow up with each individual. It is a second-degree misdemeanor and punishable by imprisonment and or fine to not follow the directive.
Most flights from the areas in the directive are canceled or consolidated. On average, passenger counts this time of year range in the 70 to 124 passengers per flight. Due to the virus, it has been between two and 10 people, most of whom have been residents or property owners.
Outbound fights have been significantly fuller.
Airports are regulated by the FAA, and no airports in the United States have been restricted. Any restriction on aviation would be issued from the federal level. In addition to commercial planes, the airport also hosts general aviation, which is also regulated by the FAA. Although not mandated, the Key West and Marathon airport staff have been giving a copy of the directive to arriving general aviation flights from those areas as well.
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The statement “most of whom have been residents or property owners.” Does this mean that tourist are still entering the Keys if they fly rather than try to drive through checkpoints? Are there still people renting that are under order to not have accepted any new guests.
Under the State Surgeon General’s order yesterday there is now legal teeth in the now requirement for 65+ and with underlying health issues to remain home on quarentine and social distancing is no longer voluntary because the SGFla has made it an order.
These people arriving from out of state that don’t live here but are property owners should not be allowed in. When will we wake up. Shut the keys border down. Be like the Bahamas you leave you can’t come back
I feel the check points should stay in place for the time being. Why take a chance of infection and also people who take supplies from us in Monroe county!
I am very happy to read Key West have had almost early awake & take seriously that killer virus.
People have to UNDERSTAND this is for them
If not listening they will die
We need to keep this roadblock up until our Crisis is stabilized. It appears that this will still be several weeks away.
I flew into Key West International this past Friday. A total of 3 passengers on board arriving from Philadelphia. That was my connecting airport from Connecticut. We had no screening upon landing and no forms to fill out. We quite literally walked off the tarmac, collected our luggage and walked out the door. When was this implemented? I am a resident of Key West, another passenger told me he was an essential worker, by that he stated he does restoration work on homes (still trying to figure out how that is essential) and the third passenger I am insure of.