Fears of Ebola Exposure Prompt Protests in Spain and US
Fears of Ebola Exposure Prompt Protests in Spain and US – As Ebola cases spread to the U.S. and Europe, fears of contracting the virus have spread with it.
Those fearing exposure to the virus, from airline cleaners to healthcare workers, have mobilized in Spain and the US to protest against what they see as a failure to protect those risking exposure.
Airplane cabin cleaners staged a protest at New York’s LaGuardia Airport demanding safe working conditions. The Air Serv employees, who are contracted by Delta to clean airplane cabins and bathrooms, walked off the job on Wednesday evening.
About 200 workers, most of whom are based out of LaGuardia’s Terminal D, took part in a the strike to demand safer conditions for workers who are exposed to human waste and and garbage during their duties. This came soon on Wednesday, when the CDC announced new screening procedures for passengers coming to the US from West African countries like Liberia, Sierrra Leone, and Guinea. The procedures include taking passengers’ temperature and asking them questions about exposure to the virus.
Airports in Newark, Chicago, Dulles, JFK, and Atlanta will be starting the screenings.
The measures did not mention protection measures for workers involved in these procedures and in cleaning the planes arriving from the affected countries. A local workers’ union provided training to LaGuardia cabin cleaners on protecting against infectious diseases.
The possible exposure to Ebola faced by cleaners is just one of the complaints of the group, but growing concerns over the virus are what prompted the strike.
In Spain, healthcare workers are protesting at a Madrid hospital where a nursing assistant contracted the virus.
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