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
| Published date | 04 March 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 12731 |
| Record Number | 2020-04542 |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
| Court | U.s. Customs And Border Protection |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 43 (Wednesday, March 4, 2020)
[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
[[Page 12732]]
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
