People traveling through Denver International Airport shouldn't be concerned that they will be exposed to the novel coronavirus from China, the airport said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up screenings and quarantine protocols for the virus — called COVID-19 — at 20 U.S. airports. DIA is not one of them. Passengers traveling from China into the United States must pass through one of those airports before they can reach DIA, airport officials said.
There have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Colorado. COVID-19 has killed more than two thousand people in China. More than two dozen people in the U.S. have been infected with the virus.
"We work really closely with the state health department and the city health department to make sure that we're following all the protocols laid out by the CDC and, should that change, we will work with them to implement that plan," said Emily Williams, a DIA spokesperson.
Williams said Colorado public health professionals have told the airport to treat the novel coronavirus just like it would a flu virus in any bad flu season.
"Just like any cold and flu season, we encourage passengers and our employees to practice safe health habits: washing their hands, not touching their face, making sure that if they do have a cough or a cold or those kinds of symptoms, that they cover their mouths," Williams said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that more than two-dozen people in the U.S. have been infected.
