KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Amtrak increases its cleaning protocols for trains and station areas, travelers at airports also are heeding advice from public health officials with more coronavirus cases being confirmed in the United States.
Amber Spiller, a Kansas City, Missouri, resident returned home from Houston on Sunday and said she noticed airline passengers were more aware of their surroundings.
"A lot more people carried hand sanitizer and wiped down the seats and, you know, the tray in front of them," Spiller said.
It's something Miguel Morales also noticed on his flight back to Kansas City from San Antonio.
"You could just see people who had, like, hand wipes and stuff for telling their kids to wash their hands, which is what you should always do,” Morales said. “I'm just -- I mean -- I'm sorry it took a virus to get people to wash their hands.”
There are several reminders to do that around Kansas City International Airport.
Since coronavirus began to spread in the United States, the airport's custodial staff have stepped up efforts to clean and disinfect areas around restrooms and outside security.
Airlines are doing the same, according to Yasmeen Salaam, who works for Delta.
"We make sure as an operation that we're taking the necessary precautions to make sure that everything's wiped down from top to bottom,” Salaam said, “making sure that the passengers understand that when they come on the aircraft, the front of the aircraft, although you may not be in first class, is pristine as in the back of the aircraft.”
With Kansas and Missouri each logging their first confirmed case of coronavirus this weekend, the message from authorities remains not to panic.
"Do what you can to protect yourself,” Morales said. “Do what you can to protect other people. Be kind. Be understanding about, you know, not everyone can afford face masks or wiping their hands, but everybody can wash. So that's the number one thing you can do is wash your hands.”
For those planning to travel on a Greyhound bus, as of Sunday, there were no cancellations. But the bus line is suspending any fees if you need change your plans.
