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
| Published date | 04 February 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 6044 |
| Record Number | 2020-02318 |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
| Court | U.s. Customs And Border Protection |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 6044-6045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02318]
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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 the 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 to implement enhanced screening
procedures. For purposes of this document, a person has recently
traveled from the People's Republic of China if that person has
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.
DATES: The arrival restrictions begin at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, February
2, 2020; and 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.
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 at 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; or
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL),
Georgia.
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
[[Page 6045]]
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. 2020-02318 Filed 1-31-20; 5:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P
