As of March 4, at 11:59 p.m., flights by people who have been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Republic of Guinea within 21 days of traveling to the United States must land at one of six designated airports , on which officials are “focusing public health resources to implement improved public health policies,” the US Customs and Border Protection said in a note.
The airports at which the affected flights must land are John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, or Los Angeles International Airport.
In connection with the travel restrictions, the CDC has a to order Request to airlines and aircraft operators to collect the contact information of the authorized passengers before boarding. The information must include the passenger’s full name, an address in the United States, a primary and secondary contact phone number in the United States, and an email address that the passenger routinely verifies in the United States. GA operators must transmit the information via the Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS). Information on crew members would be transmitted within 24 hours at the request of the CDC by encrypted email or other means approved by the CDC.
The reporting requirements only apply to orders resulting from the Ebola outbreak and do not change the procedures that apply in response to the coronavirus pandemic, said Murray Huling, vice president of regulatory affairs at AOPA.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the first known outbreak of Ebola virus disease – a serious and often fatal disease – occurred in 1976. An epidemic of the disease occurred in West Africa from 2013 to 2016. An outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2018 and 2020, and the cases identified there in February are believed to be linked to that event.
Also in February, nine cases of Ebola virus occurred in the Republic of Guinea, including five deaths. The World Health Organization expects more cases to be identified and has notified six neighboring countries to alert them to possible infections.
