[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 7214-7215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02413]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Transportation Security Administration

19 CFR Chapter I

49 CFR Chapter XII


Notification of Arrival Restrictions Applicable to Flights 
Carrying Persons Who Have Recently Traveled From or Were Otherwise 
Present Within the People's Republic of China

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Transportation 
Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notification of arrival restrictions.

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SUMMARY: This document announces a modification to the January 31, 2020 
decision of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
to direct all flights to the United States carrying persons who have 
recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the People's 
Republic of China to arrive at one of the United States airports where 
the United States Government is focusing public health resources. This 
document adds four additional airports to the list of airports where 
flights can land and describes when the arrival restrictions will 
include those airports.

DATES: Flights departing after 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 2, 2020 
and covered by the arrival restrictions are required to land at one of 
the airports identified in the January 31, 2020 document (JFK, ORD, 
SFO, SEA, HNL, LAX, ATL) or at IAD. Beginning at 6:30 a.m. EST on 
Monday February 3, 2020, DHS will expand the list of authorized 
airports to include EWR. Beginning at 7:30 a.m. EST on Monday, February 
3,

[[Page 7215]]

2020, DHS will further expand the list of authorized airports to 
include DFW and DTW. Arrival restrictions continue until cancelled or 
modified by the Secretary of DHS and notification is published in the 
Federal Register of such cancellation or modification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alyce Modesto, Office of Field 
Operations, 202-344-3788.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely 
monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) 
coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. 
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many 
different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. 
Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between 
people such as with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe 
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
    The potential for widespread transmission of this virus by infected 
individuals seeking to enter the United States threatens the security 
of our transportation system and infrastructure, and the national 
security. In an abundance of caution and to assist in preventing the 
introduction and spread of this communicable disease in the United 
States, DHS, in coordination with the CDC and other Federal, state and 
local agencies charged with protecting the American public, is 
implementing enhanced arrival protocols to ensure that all travelers 
with recent travel from the People's Republic of China are provided 
public health services. Entry screening is part of a layered approach 
used with other public health measures already in place to detect 
arriving travelers who are exhibiting overt signs of illness, reporting 
of ill travelers by air carriers during travel, and referral of ill 
travelers arriving at a U.S. port of entry by U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) to appropriate public health officials to slow and 
prevent the spread of communicable disease into the United States.
    To ensure that travelers with recent travel from the People's 
Republic of China are screened, DHS directs that all flights to the 
United States carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were 
otherwise present within, the People's Republic of China arrive at 
airports where enhanced public health services and protocols are being 
implemented. While DHS anticipates working with air carriers to 
identify potential persons from the affected area prior to boarding, 
air carriers shall comply with the requirements of this document.
    On Friday, January 31, 2020, DHS posted a document on the Federal 
Register public inspection page, announcing the DHS Secretary's 
decision that arrival restrictions would go into effect at 5 p.m. EST 
on Sunday, February 2, 2020 at seven airports. This document adds four 
additional airports to the list of airports where flights can land and 
describes when the arrival restrictions will include those airports.
    DHS notes that implementation of the arrival restrictions in this 
document and in the January 31, 2020 document may entail technical and 
logistical difficulties for airlines. We are confident that all 
airlines will make every effort to comply. DHS is appreciative of good 
faith attempts at compliance by airlines.

Notification of Arrival Restrictions Applicable to All Flights Carrying 
Persons Who Have Recently Traveled From or Were Otherwise Present 
Within the People's Republic of China

    Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1433(c), 19 CFR 122.32, 49 U.S.C. 114, and 49 
CFR 1544.305 and 1546.105, DHS has the authority to limit the location 
where all flights entering the U.S. from abroad may land. Under this 
authority and effective for flights departing after 5 p.m. EST on 
Sunday, February 2, 2020, I hereby direct all operators of aircraft to 
ensure that all flights carrying persons who have recently traveled 
from, or were otherwise present within, the People's Republic of China 
only land at one of the following airports:
     John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York;
     Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois;
     San Francisco International Airport (SFO), California;
     Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Washington;
     Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Hawaii;
     Los Angeles International Airport, (LAX), California;
     Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), 
Georgia;
     Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia;
    Effective at 6:30 a.m. EST on Monday February 3, this list of 
airports is expanded to include:
     Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey.
    Effective at 7:30 a.m. EST on Monday February 3, this list of 
airports is expanded to include:
     Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas; and
     Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan.
    This direction considers a person to have recently traveled from 
the People's Republic of China if that person departed from, or was 
otherwise present within, the People's Republic of China (excluding the 
special autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau) within 14 days of 
the date of the person's entry or attempted entry into the United 
States. Also, for purposes of this document, crew, and flights carrying 
only cargo (i.e., no passengers or non-crew), are excluded from the 
measures herein. This direction is subject to any changes to the 
airport landing destination that may be required for aircraft and/or 
airspace safety as directed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
    This list of affected airports may be modified by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services and the Secretary of Transportation. This list of 
affected airports may be modified by an updated publication in the 
Federal Register or by posting an advisory to follow at www.cbp.gov. 
The restrictions will remain in effect until superseded, modified, or 
revoked by publication in the Federal Register.
    For purposes of this Federal Register document, ``United States'' 
means the States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and 
territories and possessions of the United States (including Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, 
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and Guam).

Chad F. Wolf,
Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-02413 Filed 2-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P