USA Today - 27.03.2020

As the U.S. grapples with the grow-

ing coronavirus pandemic, the former

director of the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention is lauding

America’s China travel ban, which was

enacted in late January.

Still, he says the U.S.

didn’t do enough to pre-

pare.

“The travel ban with

China made a differ-

ence,” Dr. Tom Frieden,

the former CDC director

and current head of

global health initiative Resolve to Save

Lives, told the USA TODAY editorial

board and reporters.

This month, Vice President Mike

Pence credited China travel restric-

tions as a big factor in helping avoid a

Europe-like spread of coronavirus in

the United States. The U.S. State De-

partment updated its advisory to “do

not travel to China” in late January.

Of the travel ban, Frieden said: “It

resulted in a significant delay in the

number of people coming in with in-

fection and because of that, that

bought time in the U.S. to better pre-

pare. And yet, that time wasn’t opti-

mally used.”

That time could’ve been used to

make the health care and public health

systems better prepared for initiatives

like contact tracing and personal pro-

tective equipment. The CDC generally

provides technical advice to agencies

such as the Department of Homeland

Security, which it did during the Ebola

crisis. But it’s up to that individual

agency to implement it.

Frieden criticized the focus of the

White House press briefings.

“When I hear a press conference

that spends close to half of its time dis-

cussing border control with Mexico

and Canada, which have lower case

rates than the U.S. ... and not focusing

on scaling up our ICU capacity or sys-

tematically organizing emergency

production of masks ... this is not a

way to run a railroad,” Frieden added.

Foreign nationals from China, Iran

and some European nations are barred

from entering the U.S. This includes

anyone who visited these countries

within 14 days prior to their U.S. trip.

Contributing: Dawn Gilbertson,

Nicquel Terry Ellis

Ex-CDC

director:

China

travel ban

helped US

David Oliver

USA TODAY

Frieden

4D ❚ FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

The text from United Airlines popped
up on Joe Bushee’s iPhone just before
dinner on Sunday.
“Your flight UA366 from Hartford to
Denver is canceled due to the unprece-
dented circumstances currently affect-
ing travel,” it said.
Bushee, 27, a television producer, had
already decided not to go on the trip
with his college buddies because of cor-
onavirus concerns but hadn’t called
United to cancel because the airline’s
website urged travelers to wait until 72
hours before their flight. Bushee’s
wasn’t due to leave until Thursday.
When he called United on Monday,
he asked about his reimbursement op-
tions. He wanted his $364 back and fig-
ured it was a no-brainer since United,
not him, canceled the flight. He had re-
ceived an instant refund for a concert in
Denver that was canceled.
Bushee said the agent told him Unit-
ed is not giving out refunds “at this
time” and offered a different flight to
Denver or a travel credit good through
December. Bushee declined.
He read up on the U.S. Department of
Transportation rules requiring refunds
on nonrefundable tickets when an air-
line cancels your flight and turned to
Twitter for help from United, to no avail.
He called United back, and a second
agent said he was due a refund, but
when he tried to process it, the comput-
er only showed a travel credit as an op-
tion. The agent told Bushee he hadn’t
seen any official policy from United
about not issuing refunds but figured it
was because the airline was losing “a lot
of revenue.”
Bushee asked to talk to a supervisor
and pressed his case. He was finally
promised a refund.
The most frustrating part of the or-
deal, he said: “Nobody seemed to know
why I couldn’t get the refund.”
No major U.S. airline is outwardly
touting the availability of cash refunds
to passengers whose flights are can-
celed given the industry’s precarious fi-
nances, typically offering rebooking or a
travel voucher as the first options online
and over the phone. (Travelers who can-
cel upcoming flights on their own can
rebook or receive a travel credit, with
the change fee usually waived depend-

ing on the travel date.)

But American, Delta and Southwest

do offer refunds for flights the airlines

cancel, their standard practice.

United is playing hardball with trav-

elers who should be eligible for a refund

• something it did not do during the
  Boeing 737 Max crisis that grounded
  planes and forced thousands of flight
  cancellations over the past year.
  The airline’s coronavirus refund pol-
  icies for travelers whose flights are can-
  celed by the airline are the stingiest of
  the big four U.S. airlines and appear to
  skirt the DOT guidelines. An agency
  spokesperson said the government’s
  rules have not changed: a passenger is
  entitled to a refund if an airline cancels a
  flight and the passenger chooses not to
  accept an alternative flight on that air-
  line.
  United and other airlines have
  slashed flights in unprecedented num-
  bers as travel demand has plunged be-
  cause of government and business trav-
  el restrictions and traveler anxiety.
  Domestic flights: For canceled
  flights within the United States, United
  is not issuing refunds unless the new
  flight their computer system automati-
  cally put you on delays your departure
  or arrival by more than six hours. If it
  doesn’t, and you don’t want to travel,
  you’ll receive a travel credit for the value
  of the ticket. (United booked Bushee on
  a flight three hours later, which required
  a connection. His original flight was
  nonstop.) The DOT policy does not
  mention time frames for determining a

refund when a flight is canceled. There

is a separate policy on refunds for sig-

nificant delays caused by a schedule

change.

The only exception to United’s do-

mestic refund policy: flight cancella-

tions to destinations the airline no

longer serves due to coronavirus fall-

out. Those travelers can get their mon-

ey back. So far, that list only includes

Mammoth Lakes, California, United

spokeswoman Leslie Scott said.

International flights: United is ef-

fectively delaying any passenger re-

funds for up to a year. Travelers whose

flights are canceled – international

flights service has nearly been elimi-

nated – will receive a voucher for the

value of their ticket, and if they don’t

use it within a year of the purchase

date, they can then get a refund.

“It seems like they are going out of

their way to not be as accommodating

as other airlines are, and that’s unac-

ceptable,” said William J. McGee, avia-

tion adviser for Consumer Reports.

The DOT said in a statement to USA

TODAY the department was aware of

complaints regarding airlines’ refund

practices and was reviewing the issue.

Scott said United has communicat-

ed with DOT about its policies “and

they have not objected.” She also said

other major global airlines, including

Air France/KLM and Lufthansa, have

implemented a similar policy of only

offering credits for international

flights, some without the option for a

refund later.

TRAVEL

United Airlines’ policy

on refunds drawing ire

Coronavirus response

differs from last crisis

Dawn Gilbertson
USA TODAY

United is playing hardball with travelers who should be eligible for a refund –

something it did not do during the recent Boeing 737 Max crisis. JEFF CHIU/AP FILE

To avoid that grim fate, Cuomo has
urged the federal government to take
control of protective equipment pro-
duction and get more supplies to New
York as soon as possible. He noted that
the shortages threaten countless other
communities across the country just
starting to get hit by the virus. Cuomo
also praised health care workers and
first responders for their bravery.
“Most of us are in our home hun-
kered down, worried. They’re worried
and they’re going out there every day
despite their fear. ... Overcoming their
fear, and not for their family, they’re
doing it for your family,” he said.

What nurses say about
equipment shortages

Some nurses described a disconnect
between Cuomo’s comments at daily
news briefings and what some hospi-
tals are demanding of workers.
“They’re being asked to do things
that jeopardize their health and make it
hard to take care of their patients,” said
Boyts, who gathers Westchester Med-
ical Center nurse grievances for the
New York State Nurses Association
union.
“You wouldn’t ask police to go into a
gun battle without a gun, but we’re be-
ing asked to put our lives on the line
each day without the equipment that
we need to do it.”
Lori Glazer, a registered nurse from
Ossining, also is worried by the lack of
gear.
“We don’t have N95 masks, we just
have (surgical masks). They’re protect-
ing other people, not us,” Glazer said.
“It’s scary going in because you never

know when you’re going to get sick.”

At Montefiore Health’s hospital in

the Bronx, nurses with suspected CO-

VID-19 exposures are being told to

break the typical 14-day quarantine

and return to work early, according to

Karine Raymond, a Montefiore nurse

and union leader.

The order apparently came as the

CDC recommended loosening quaran-

tine rules for medical workers, joining

the already diminished infection con-

trol practices that nurses say put them

at risk. The federal agency in late Feb-

ruary recommended extended use and

reuse of masks connected to COVID-19

related shortages, deviating from long-

held infection control standards. The

quarantine strategy for medical work-

ers was last updated on March 16, rec-

ords show.

It is all part of what state and federal

health officials say is a dire attempt to

keep hospitals afloat in the face of po-

tentially overwhelming COVID-19 in-

fections. Yet amid debate over the

emergency actions, nurses at Monte-

fiore were being warned they could be

fired if they didn’t adhere to the hospi-

tal’s new protective gear rules, accord-

ing to Montefiore records reviewed by

the USA TODAY Network – New York.

Eventually, Montefiore sent out a

message Friday canceling the original

order threatening termination and said

it was “sent in error,” the records show.

Michele Brailsford-Paul, a home

care nurse for Montefiore, said she re-

cently filed a complaint with federal

worker safety regulators in Tarrytown

about the shortages in protective

equipment.

What hospitals say about

nurses’ equipment complaints

Montefiore officials asserted the

Bronx-based health system with 15

hospitals is following CDC guidelines

on COVID-19 and prepares for all types

of emergencies.

“Comprehensive plans have been in

place to reduce risk of potential expo-

sure to our patients, staff and commu-

nity,” the officials said in a statement.

Westchester Medical Center Health

Network officials disputed that nurses

have limited access to N95 masks and

asserted the health system with 10 hos-

pitals across the region is following

CDC guidelines.

“Like every other hospital and

healthcare organization, we are man-

aging our supply pipeline and use very

carefully,” the officials said in a state-

ment. They added the health system’s

workforce is “coming to work every day

to help and serve their friends and

neighbors. They truly are healthcare

heroes.”

Montefiore likewise disputes the al-

legations that nurses are short of pro-

tective gear.

“Protecting our staff is also of ut-

most importance so we can continue to

provide care as this pandemic con-

tinues to worsen. We are working tire-

lessly with state and federal govern-

ments to secure appropriate protective

gear for our providers and equipment

for our patients,” the Montefiore offi-

cials said in a statement.

Meanwhile, some nurses criticized

the CDC guidelines for giving hospitals

the green light to limit access to protec-

tive gear, regardless of the safety ram-

ifications.

“What they’re telling us to do is not

based on the science of the virus; it’s

based on what is available for any given

day,” Boyts said.

CDC officials didn’t immediately re-

spond to a request to comment on the

nurses’ complaints in New York.

The state Department of Health

would not say if it is investigating com-

plaints from nurses about the condi-

tions at hospitals. It noted the CDC

continues to issue revised guidance re-

garding the use of protective gear.

“The (Health) Department takes the

safety of New Yorkers very seriously

and is also working to provide addi-

tional guidance to hospitals,” agency

spokeswoman Jill Montag said in a

statement.

Hospital officials, in many ways,

have been tasked with finding the bal-

ance between implementing the new

CDC guidelines for stretching protec-

tive equipment supplies and worker

safety.

One is Dr. Erick Eiting, vice chair of

operations for emergency medicine at

Mount Sinai Downtown, which in-

cludes an emergency department and

urgent care in New York City that han-

dles about 97,000 patients a year.

Eiting compared the effort to imple-

ment new mask-use guidelines to the

rapidly evolving outbreak response in

New York.

It is all seemingly part of a daily

stream of drastic actions, such as con-

verting the Javits Center in Manhattan

into a temporary hospital, aimed at

helping prepare the health system to

handle surging infections.

“A lot of it is there is so much anxiety

about this because we’re dealing with a

totally new phenomenon and trying to

take the best practices we’ve built with

other diseases and apply them here,

but we’re also learning on the fly,” he

said.

Nurses

Continued from Page 1D

“You wouldn’t ask police to

go into a gun battle without

a gun.”

Lori Glazer, a registered nurse