[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 54 (Thursday, March 19, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15714-15715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05783]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland
AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Transportation
Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security.
ACTION: Notification of arrival restrictions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This document announces the 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 United Kingdom, excluding overseas territories
outside of Europe, or the Republic of Ireland to arrive at one of the
United States airports where the United States Government is focusing
public health resources. This document updates the previous decisions
of the Secretary of 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
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 (effective February 2, 2020); to direct 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 (effective March 2, 2020); and to
direct all flights to the United States carrying persons who have
recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the countries
of the Schengen Area, to arrive at one of the United States airports
where the United States Government is focusing public health resources
(effective March 13, 2020).
DATES: Flights departing after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
on Monday, March 16, 2020, and covered by the arrival restrictions
regarding the United Kingdom, excluding overseas territories outside of
Europe, or the Republic of Ireland are required to land at one of the
airports identified in this document. These arrival restrictions will
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 (CBP) at 202-325-2073.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many
different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.
While it is rare, animal coronaviruses can infect people, and then
spread between people (human-to-human) such as with Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The United
States Government is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory
illness caused by human-to-human transmission of 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.
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
(WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the
novel coronavirus outbreak, including the categorization by WHO of
COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and to assist in preventing
the introduction, transmission, and spread of this communicable disease
globally and in the United States, DHS, in coordination with CDC and
other Federal, state and local agencies charged with protecting the
American public, is implementing enhanced protocols to ensure that all
travelers seeking to enter the United States with recent travel from,
or who were otherwise recently present within, the United Kingdom,
excluding overseas territories outside of Europe, or the Republic of
Ireland 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, excluding the Special Administrative
Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, identified in the documents published
at 85 FR 6044 on February 4, 2020 and 85 FR 7214 on February 7, 2020,
also remain in place, except that flights are permitted to land at two
additional airports pursuant to the notification posted on the Federal
Register public inspection page on March 13, 2020. The enhanced arrival
protocols concerning travelers with recent travel from, or who were
otherwise present within, the Islamic Republic of Iran, identified in
the document published at 85 FR 12731 on March 4, 2020, also remain in
place except that flights are permitted to land at two additional
airports pursuant to the notification posted on the Federal Register
public inspection page on March 13, 2020. Travelers with recent travel
from, or who were otherwise present within, the countries of the
Schengen Area also remain in place, identified in the document posted
on the Federal Register public inspection page on March 13, 2020.
Enhanced traveler arrival 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.
Additional measures include requiring carriers to distribute a Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health declaration form to
passengers on flights originating in the People's Republic of China,
excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau,
the Islamic Republic of Iran, specified countries in the Schengen Area,
the United Kingdom (excluding overseas territories outside Europe), and
the Republic of Ireland to support CDC passenger health screening and
contact tracing. U.S. Government Representatives will collect this form
from passengers upon arrival in the United States. Other measures to
protect the public include reporting ill travelers identified by
carriers during travel to appropriate public health officials for
evaluation, and referring ill travelers arriving at a U.S. port of
entry by CBP to appropriate public health officials in order to slow
and prevent the introduction into, and transmission and
[[Page 15715]]
spread of, communicable disease in the United States.
To ensure that travelers with recent presence in the United
Kingdom, excluding overseas territories outside of Europe, or the
Republic of Ireland 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 United Kingdom,
excluding overseas territories outside of Europe, or the Republic of
Ireland arrive at airports where enhanced public health services and
protocols have been implemented. Although DHS will continue to work
with 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, carriers shall comply with the
requirements of this document in all cases, including when such persons
are identified after boarding but prior to takeoff.
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 Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and
Macau) would go into effect at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday,
February 2, 2020, at seven airports. The document announcing this
decision was published in the Federal Register on February 4, 2020 at
85 FR 6044. 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. See 85 FR 7214. On
Friday, March 13, 2020, DHS posted a document on the Federal Register
public inspection page adding two airports to the list of airports
where flights subject to the arrival restrictions are permitted to
land.
As with actions related to the People's Republic of China, the
Islamic Republic of Iran and the countries of the Schengen Area, 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 United Kingdom, Excluding Overseas Territories Outside of
Europe, or the Republic of Ireland
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 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time on Monday, March 16, 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 United
Kingdom, excluding overseas territories outside of Europe, or the
Republic of Ireland 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;
Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan;
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Massachusetts;
and
Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida.
This direction considers a person to have recently traveled from,
or otherwise been present within, the United Kingdom, excluding
overseas territories outside of Europe, or the Republic of Ireland if
that person departed from, or was otherwise present within, the United
Kingdom, excluding overseas territories outside of Europe, or the
Republic of Ireland 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 Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam).
The Acting Secretary of DHS, Chad F. Wolf, having reviewed and
approved this document, is delegating the authority to electronically
sign this document to Christina E. McDonald, who is the Federal
Register Liaison for DHS, for purposes of publication in the Federal
Register.
Christina E. McDonald,
Federal Register Liaison, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-05783 Filed 3-16-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P 9110-05-P