Swine Flu!

I know that there is a worldwide concern over the spread of Swine and Avian flu... but, it seems to me that jeannie is already out of the bottle..... with the ease of global air travel and the geometric spread of even a fleeting contact, it seems like a futile effort to stick one's finger in a collapsing seawall.


flying into Qingdao, the plane was held at the gate before you could even get out of your seat for a health inspection. 2 masked health care workers entered the plane and went up each aisle and IR'ed the forehead of every person on the plane. ( note to self: take two tylenol half way thru the flight just to be sure that you don't end up in a 7 day quarantine facility and packed back on a plane out of the country! the US state department advised parents traveling with children that if a child is found to be running a fever, the child will be isolated and medicated without regard for parent permission or not! whooooaaaa! that's harsh!)

then you go through the first immigration/health quarantine screening. besides the travel questionaire you had to fill out before landing. being from the US, i got sent into the special screening area where i had to tell them where i was from and have travelled. and got the special ear probe temp again! (i don't think that they connected that the first case detected in the US was an elementary student from Elyria OH! oh well,not my problem!)

no problem going through immigration then and pick up your bags and then through customs. oooops, had to go back in line because i didn't have the proper form filled out!