A message and request from a 4th year pharmacy student: 

During this unprecedented pandemic, airport employees are arguably in one of the most vulnerable positions to being exposed to COVID-19. I am writing this petition because I believe it is unacceptable to force immunocompromised, elderly, and pregnant employees to continue to work in the airports during this time. 

The data regarding the significance and fatality of this virus in immunocompromised and elderly patients is being established as we speak. As of right now, the CDC recommends that "If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease" and this includes avoiding crowds as much as possible, avoiding air and cruise travel, and staying home as much as possible. 

According to the CDC "We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result... We still do not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus that causes COVID-19 to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery." 

These employees should be offered paid medical leave until this pandemic and national quarantine attempts have subsided. Please help me spread this message and urge the airline companies to consider the high risk that they are subjecting these employees to. Thank you.