Only Ticketed Passengers, Those Assisting Them, And Staff Will Be Allowed In O'Hare And Midway Airports Starting Friday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Effective Friday, no one but ticketed passengers, people assisting passengers, or airport employees will be allowed inside O'Hare or Midway international airports.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said this is all in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and is an effort to keep everyone safe.
The Aviation Department and Chicago Police will set up a nightly checkpoint at each airport's Chicago Transit Authority stops – the Blue Line terminal for O'Hare and the Orange Line terminal for Midway.
Travelers will be required to show proof they are flying that day, such as a boarding pass – while employees must show their badge or ID.
Those assisting passengers will be allowed limited access.
There are no plans right now for daytime checkpoints, but police and Aviation Department security can request to see appropriate credentials for anyone in the airport.
Other airports have also recently implemented such policies, including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Los Angeles and International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.