A government contractor is offering $19 per hour to individuals who are willing to become Ebola screeners at John F. Kennedy international airport.
Angel Staffing Inc. is looking for applicants with basic EMT or paramedic training to work with Customs and Border Protection officers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help with screenings at the airport, including taking temperatures, the New York Post reported Saturday.
EMTs will earn $19 and hour while paramedics will be paid $29 an hour. The staffing agency is also seeking applicants to work at other airports across the country with new screening areas in place, including Washington Dulle, Newark Liberty, Chicago O’Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports.
Customs officials have said that about 150 people traveling from Ebola-ridden countries in West Africa come in to the U.S. every day, most of them through JFK.
Officers expressed concerns over the screening plan, warning that questioning travelers and taking their temperatures might not be enough to prevent more cases in the U.S.
“We were told what to do for a passenger, but what happens with us? What if I get a fever? What should I do?” One officer asked, the Post reported.
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“For example, if someone has a 108 fever and we catch it after they deplane, there were 132 other people on the plane with him and you just let them go,” he said. “You just possibly contaminated the person next to you and the flight attendant who handed you something.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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