'I'm definitely getting a mask': Eppley passengers share coronavirus travel concerns

Travelers at Eppley Airfield each have their own reactions and methods of protection against the coronavirus.

© Provided by KETV Omaha Austin Sigston wears a mask at Eppley Airfield

Austin Sigston of Bakersfield, California, walked around the airport in a protection mask.

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"I remember seeing something on my phone about them evacuating people to Omaha. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm not messing around. I'm definitely getting a mask when I fly out of here," he said.

Sigston said he flies a lot for work. He said "you can never be too careful."

"It's not a matter of if, it's when. So be as safe as you can, as clean as you can," Sigston said.

"Earlier a girl walked by and she had a hospital mask on and we were like, 'Wait -- should we be wearing one too?'" said traveler Olivia Eckels.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, epidemiologist Anne O'Keefe with the Douglas County Health Department said masks should go to the people who are sick. She said the mask prevents them from coughing or sneezing on others. She said if you are not sick, you should prioritize hand-sanitizing, "obsessively" wash your hands and avoid touching your face.

Eckels and one of her college friends, Maureen Imrie, said they made certain their spring break destination would be risk-free.

"We definitely looked up if it had made its way to Puerto Rico, since that's where we're going, and whether or not where we landed would be affected," Eckels said.

The women are flying from Chicago's international airport. They said they were only a little worried they'll be in contact with travelers returning from the affected countries.

"I think that's always a concern. With anything, sickness can spread like crazy anywhere," Imrie said.

Tom Daly is also traveling to Chicago. He's ready to fight the virus with his hand sanitizer.

"I am sanitizing my hands a little bit more than normal, but not obsessively," he said.

Daly said he's not as concerned as other travelers might be. He added he's reacting to the coronavirus like it's any other flu.

"As with everything, just wash your hands and take precautions. That's how I feel," he said.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is asking Nebraskans who have traveled to countries with community transmission of COVID-19 in the past 14 days to contact their local health department. Those locations include Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and China.

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