WILMINGTON — In response to Covid-19, many flights in and out of the Wilmington International Airport have been canceled and services have been reduced. However, there are still flights landing in Wilmington originating at the epicenter of the disease — New York City — where more than 1/3 of all cases in the U.S. are located according to CDC data.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already issued a travel advisory for residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut asking travelers to avoid any nonessential, domestic travel.
“The CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately. This Domestic Travel Advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply … The Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will have full discretion to implement this Domestic Travel Advisory,” according to the CDC alert.
Although flights are still arriving at ILM, there have been some suspensions to service already. According to the airport, American Airlines is set to suspend all flights to and from ILM and LGA (La Guardia) on April 7.
The following updates are from ILM but travelers with any questions about upcoming flights should reach out to their airlines directly.
- American Airlines is suspending flights between ILM and New York La Guardia (LGA). At this time, the last flight to LGA is scheduled for April 7th, with a goal to resume in the future.
- American Airlines is reducing the number of daily flights between ILM and Charlotte (CLT) as well as between ILM and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW). American will also reduce flights between ILM and Washington Reagan (DCA) to twice weekly.
- United is reducing the number of daily flights between ILM and Washington Dulles (IAD).
ILM is continuously updating that website with any new announcements as they are made so be sure to check it frequently if you are planning on traveling.
What could be done?
Banning air travel from places like New York or California have been done in other states, but in general, this type of decision is up to the state government.
However, in North Carolina, at least one county has taken strict measures to limit the number of visitors.
In Dare County, in the Outer Banks, more intense measures have been put into place to stop non-residents from heading to the remote barrier islands. Only permanent residents are permitted access to the county. This even forbids non-resident property owners from heading to second homes to escape the virus.
According to Dare County, this is being enforced through checkpoints at all points of entry to the county.
“In the interest of health and safety, please keep your window rolled up and place your entry documents against the windows for officers to view,” according to the county’s website.
These measures have drawn criticism from some, in fact, the county has set up an email account to receive concerns about the Draconian measures.
“If you would like to share your concerns regarding the decision to restrict access to non-resident property owners and visitors, submit an email to covid19@darenc.com,” the county’s website reads.
Other states like Florida have issued travel rules that are less intense than outright banning visitors but still restrictive.
These include:
- All persons traveling to Florida from New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut are required to self-isolate or quarantine for 14 days upon entry to the state or for the duration of their presence in the state, whichever is shorter. Click here for more information.
- Roadside checkpoints are set up on interstates to check for potential COVID-19 cases coming into Florida. Anyone traveling into Florida from Louisiana and other areas with substantial community spread of the virus will be subject to a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine.
New Hanover County has not yet issued any sort of travel ban but is encouraging visitors to self-quarantine.
“New Hanover County doesn’t have any travel bans, but we have emphasized to the community that those coming into our community from New York City need to self-quarantine for 14 days,” New Hanover County Spokeswoman Jessica Loeper said.
