I love to travel and today Is a great day to travel somewhere. In fact I am at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport waiting to board a flight. People ask me why I travel so much with covid on the rise? I tell them it is because I am not afraid. Also when I go to other countries, their precautions are on point. They follow all the CDC's guidelines and then some. Like at the Dominican Republic airport, there is someone stationed at the restroom who wipes down toilets, stalls, and mops the floor after each use. At the hotel when you walk in there is a wet mat at the door for you to wipe your shoes on, then you step on a dry one. As soon as you step on the dry one an attendant takes up the wet mat and takes it outside to hose it off. Meanwhile another attendant is mopping the floor and yet another is wiping off the counter tops between guest. Everyone wears a mask and for the most part keep their distance. Unlike my experience here on the mainland, you have to show your negative covid test results or vaccination card to go into public places including the bank. #Walmart says you don't have to wear a mask if you are vaccinated, yet there is no one checking to ensure the people who walk in without wearing a mask is vaccinated. No one is wiping down carts or cleaning bathroom stalls after each use like they did when the pandemic first started. And they wonder why the virus is spreading - smh.
Anyway back to my issue. I must say that the whole experience thus far as been great as far as timing goes. But in terms of covid-19 precautions, there is much to be desired. Took #Marta from Indian Creek to the airport. Only issue worth mentioning is that there was no cleaning or sterilization of the train between arrival and departure at the train station. Indian Creek is the last/first stop on the Blue line. Train pulled. People got off and people got on. Waited 10 minutes before train pulled off. No one cleaned or sanitized the seats or rails.
Got to the airport and went through security. No body wiped down bins or common areas where people congregate. Process went quickly. I was impressed that I did not have to show my boarding pass to the TSA agent, only my ID which she scanned. Assuming my name popped up on the electronic passenger list. I like that!!! Bag and body screening went quickly and uneventful. I like that!!! Maybe I am getting better at following directions ie putting liquids in clear plastic bags and placing them in the bin for scanning 😂.
Got to the departure gate with hours to spear. Shoot if I had known how effortless the process would be I could have slept another hour. Oh well. Glad I made it.
So while I am at the gate a janitor came by and swept up the trash on the floor. He missed a few pieces of trash that was under the seat Infront of me. I don't know how he missed it as it was visible from a standing vantage point. Trust me, I checked. Made me think of my last trip to DR and how I observed their janitor cleaning the windows and ledge even in areas people don't access. I remember thinking to myself, "these people clean like I do in my house." I can honestly say I had never seen that level of cleaning at the airport in the US. Then as soon as I had that thought there was a gate change. Cool cause I was thinking earlier that I would prefer to be sitting in the sun one gate down from where I was. Where is the new gate? One gate down from where I was. Now I am sitting in the sun observing trash and dirty windows and ledges. Few minutes after I got to the new gate a female janitor came by and cleaned the windows but did not touch the ledges. Interesting.
With all the hoopla about covid cases increasing, it is mind boggling to me that people are not taking the necessary precautions to reduce the spread of the virus. I see people wearing mask incorrectly - covering their mouth but not their nose or the mask just hanging around their ears with both nose and mouth exposed. Not practicing social distancing - crunched up in line through TSA check point, on escalators, and on the sky train between gates. I can control my distance between me and the other passengers Infront of me on the escalator by allowing 6 steps to pass before I get on or allowing space infront of me in the line but behind me they just jammed up on me like we dating. From what I am observing, most people are just not mindful of practicing social distancing when they are at the airport. I am about to ask people to back the f@$# up off of me. I'm just saying, I got issues. What about you?)i(
