Paine Field Airport in Everett began screening passengers’ body temperatures with a thermal camera Wednesday because fever is a known symptom of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Passengers are screened before reaching the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, according to an announcement by Propeller Airports, which operates Paine Field.
The machine used, an Elevated Body Temperature Detection System, never touches passengers and is noninvasive.
If the machine detects fever, the passenger will be screened again, and the passenger and airline will decide whether the person is well enough to travel, according to the statement.
“The new temperature checks follow Propeller’s introduction last month of an innovative and proprietary UV technology used to disinfect the terminal,” the statement said. “The technology being deployed at Paine Field is the latest in a line of similar technology that has been used effectively for years in Asia and other parts of the world.”
The small airport, which began offering passenger flights in 2019, is one of the first passenger terminals in the country to use the new technology.
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