As part of its ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yesterday announced new travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease in the United States.
Effective today, DHS said, all travelers from three West African nations -- Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea -- will be routed through one of five U.S. airports where enhanced screening measures already are underway: New York's JFK airport, Newark, Dulles, Atlanta, and Chicago's O'Hare airport.
"Today, I am announcing that all passengers arriving in the United States whose travel originates in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea will be required to fly into one of the five airports that have the enhanced screening and additional resources in place," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. "We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption. If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed."
On behalf of the travel industry, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow called the additional screening "a substantive step in addressing an issue the public has understandably expressed a great deal of concern about, while avoiding a policy overreaction with harmful unintended consequences."
"This new policy maximizes efficiency, because the screening measures that were already up and running will now capture all of the passengers from at-risk African countries, as opposed to the 94 percent they were picking up before," Dow said. "We believe this announcement will achieve the aim of keeping sick people out of the U.S., without abandoning whole countries in their efforts to fight Ebola or driving travelers from those countries 'underground' in attempts to reach the U.S."
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