[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 4, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 12731-12733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04542]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

19 CFR Chapter I

Transportation Security Administration

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 or the Islamic Republic 
of Iran

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 further modifications to the January 
31, 2020, decision of the Secretary 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 (excluding the special autonomous regions of Hong 
Kong and Macau) to arrive at one of the United States airports where 
the United States Government is focusing public health resources. This 
document adds to the existing restrictions by directing all flights to 
the United States carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or 
were otherwise present within, the Islamic Republic of Iran to arrive 
at one of the United States airports where the United States Government 
is focusing public health resources. Nothing in this notification is 
intended to amend or modify the existing restrictions announced in the 
Federal Register on February 4, 2020 and February 7, 2020.

DATES: Flights departing after 5 p.m. EST on Monday, March 2, 2020, and 
covered by the arrival restrictions regarding the Islamic Republic of 
Iran are required to land at one of the airports identified in the 
documents published at 85 FR 6044 (February 4, 2020) and 85 FR 7214 
(February 7, 2020). These arrival restrictions will

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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: Matthew S. Davies, Office of Field 
Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 202-325-2073.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The United States Government is closely monitoring an outbreak of 
respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (which has 
since been renamed ``SARS-CoV-2'' and causes the disease COVID-19), 
first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, People's Republic of 
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 and Severe 
Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
    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. Noting recent pronouncements by the World Health Organization 
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist in 
preventing the introduction, transmission, 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 traveler 
education protocols to ensure that all travelers with recent travel 
from, or who were otherwise recently present within, the Islamic 
Republic of Iran are provided appropriate public health services. The 
enhanced arrival protocols concerning travelers with recent travel 
from, or who were otherwise recently present within, the People's 
Republic of China, identified in the documents published at 85 FR 6044 
(February 4, 2020) and 85 FR 7214 (February 7, 2020), also remain in 
place without modification in this notification.
    Enhanced traveler education protocols are 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. 
Related measures include reporting ill travelers identified by air 
carriers during travel to appropriate public health officials for 
evaluation, and referring ill travelers arriving at a U.S. port of 
entry by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to appropriate public 
health officials in order to slow and prevent the introduction into, 
and transmission and spread of, communicable disease in the United 
States.
    To ensure that travelers with recent presence in the Islamic 
Republic of Iran are screened appropriately, DHS directs that all 
flights to the United States carrying persons who have recently 
traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the Islamic Republic 
of Iran arrive at airports where enhanced public health services and 
protocols have been implemented. Although DHS will continue to work 
with air carriers to ensure that they identify potential persons who 
traveled from, or who have otherwise recently been present within, the 
affected areas prior to boarding, air carriers shall comply with the 
requirements of this document in all cases, including when such persons 
are identified after boarding.
    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 regarding the People's Republic of 
China (excluding the special autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau) 
would go into effect at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 2, 2020, at 
seven airports. On Friday, February 7, 2020, DHS published a document 
adding four airports to the list of airports where flights subject to 
the arrival restrictions are permitted to land and describing when the 
arrival restrictions would include those airports. DHS is not adding 
additional airports to the list at this time.
    As with actions related to the People's Republic of China, DHS 
anticipates that airlines will be able to fully support implementation 
of these arrival restrictions.

Notification of Arrival Restrictions Applicable to All Flights Carrying 
Persons Who Have Recently Traveled From or Were Otherwise Present 
Within the Islamic Republic of Iran

    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 locations 
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 
Monday, March 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 Islamic Republic of Iran 
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;
     Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey;
     Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas; and
     Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan.
    This direction considers a person to have recently traveled from, 
or otherwise been present within, the Islamic Republic of Iran if that 
person departed from, or was otherwise present within, the Islamic 
Republic of Iran within 14 days of the date of the person's entry or 
attempted entry into the United States.
    For purposes of this document, crew and flights carrying only cargo 
(i.e., no passengers or non-crew) are excluded from the applicable 
measures set forth in this notice.
    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 U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the

[[Page 12733]]

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam).

Chad F. Wolf,
Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-04542 Filed 3-2-20; 4:15 pm]
 BILLING CODE 9111-14-P