Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Mark D. Bogen
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO DISCUSS possible action Broward County can take to ensure that appropriate screening is being done by airlines of passengers arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from foreign countries with high rates of COVID-19 variants of interest or variants of concern. (Commissioner Bogen)
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Why Action is Necessary
Required to permit Board discussion of the referenced topic.
What Action Accomplishes
Permits Board discussion of the referenced topic.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
The COVID-19 Lambda variant (the C.37 variant of SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in Peru in August 2020, and is now reportedly the dominant variant in Peru and many South American and Latin American countries. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has labeled Lambda a “variant of interest” and indicated more studies are needed to determine whether it is more transmissible than other variants and the efficacy of existing vaccines against the Lambda variant.
The World Health Organization (“WHO”) has declared the Mu variant (B.1.621) a “variant of interest.” Mu was first detected in Colombia in January, and has now been detected in 43 countries. As stated by WHO in its most recent COVID-19 weekly update, “the Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” indicating that it may present elevated risk for individuals who are fully vaccinated and individuals who have already had the COVID-19 virus.
This item permits the Board to discuss what actions Broward County can take to ensure compliance with the federal COVID-19 screening requirements and what further action the County can take to protect public health and welfare. The sponsor of this item, Commissioner Mark Bogen, specifically seeks information as to what assurances the County has that airline such as Spirit Airlines and JetBlue have confirmed, prior to passenger boarding for flights arriving from countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, that all passengers have a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Source of Additional Information
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
None.