Rescission of the Requirement for Airlines To Collect Designated Information for Passengers Destined for the United States Who Are Departing From, or Were Otherwise Present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| Published date | 04 May 2021 |
| Citation | 86 FR 23727 |
| Record Number | 2021-09470 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Centers For Disease Control And Prevention,Health And Human Services Department |
23727
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 4, 2021 / Notices
1
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/drc/
2021-february.html.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Rescission of the Requirement for
Airlines To Collect Designated
Information for Passengers Destined
for the United States Who Are
Departing From, or Were Otherwise
Present in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo
AGENCY
: Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION
: Notice.
SUMMARY
: The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), a
component of the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), announces
the rescission of the requirement for
airlines and aircraft operators to collect
designated information for passengers
who are departing from, or were
otherwise present in, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) within 21
days prior to their entry or attempted
entry into the United States. This
rescission is based on the CDC
Director’s determination that such
passengers are no longer at risk of
exposure to Ebola virus disease (EVD)
and that their accurate and complete
contact information is no longer needed
to protect the health of fellow travelers
and United States communities. All
requirements pertaining to Guinea
remain in effect.
DATES
: This rescission went into effect
beginning 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time on April 29, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Jennifer Buigut, Division of Global
Migration and Quarantine, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 1600
Clifton Road NE, MS H16–4, Atlanta,
GA 30329. Email: dgmqpolicyoffice@
cdc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
Background
On March 2, 2021, CDC issued an
Order requiring all airlines and aircraft
operators conducting passenger-carrying
operations destined for the United
States to collect and transmit, and
passengers to provide, designated
passenger manifest information to the
United States Government for
passengers departing from or who were
otherwise present in the DRC or the
Republic of Guinea (Guinea) within 21
days of the passenger’s entry or
attempted entry into the United States.
Since March 1, 2021, there have been
no new confirmed EVD cases reported
in DRC and all contacts of cases that
were being monitored for EVD have
passed the 21-day incubation period.
With no new cases reported in the past
42 days (2 incubation periods) no
remaining hospitalized patients with
EVD, and no contacts of confirmed EVD
cases still requiring monitoring, the
potential risk for Ebola virus exposure
in DRC has greatly diminished.
CDC has determined that this
information is no longer required to be
collected and provided to CDC by
airlines and aircraft operators as
stipulated in the Order.
A copy of the Order is provided below
and a copy of the signed Order can be
found at https://www.cdc.gov/
quarantine/order-contact-information-
ebola.html.
Order of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Department of Health
and Human Services
Rescission of the Requirement for
Airlines To Collect Designated
Information for Passengers Destined for
the United States Who Are Departing
From, or Were Otherwise Present in,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Under 42 CFR 71.4, 71.20, 71.31, and
71.32 as Authorized by 42 U.S.C. 264
and 268
Attention:
•All airlines and aircraft operators
conducting any passenger-carrying
operation destined for the United States
transporting passengers who are
departing from or were otherwise
present in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) within the previous 21
days of the date of the person’s entry or
attempted entry into the United States;
and
•All air passengers destined for the
United States who are departing from or
were otherwise present in the DRC
within the previous 21 days of the date
of the person’s entry or attempted entry
into the United States.
On March 2, 2021, I, the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) (Director) issued an
Order (Order) under 42 CFR 71.4, 71.20,
71.31, and 71.32 to: (1) All airlines and
aircraft operators conducting passenger-
carrying operations destined for the
United States and transporting
passengers departing from or who were
otherwise present in the DRC or the
Republic of Guinea (Guinea) within 21
days of the passenger’s entry or
attempted entry into the United States;
and (2) all passengers destined for the
United States departing from, or who
were otherwise present in, the DRC or
Guinea within the previous 21 days.
The Order required these airlines and
aircraft operators to collect and
transmit, and passengers to provide,
designated passenger manifest
information to the United States
Government.
The Order was issued in response to
outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD)
that were identified in Guinea and the
DRC in February 2021. Experience with
previous EVD outbreaks (including the
2014–2016 EVD outbreak in West
Africa) show that EVD can spread
quickly between close contacts and
within healthcare settings, often with
high case fatality rates, and with
substantial disruption and strain on
healthcare services. Air travel has the
potential to transport people, some of
whom may have been exposed to a
communicable disease, anywhere across
the globe in less than 24 hours. The
purpose of the Order was to ensure that
health officials would have immediate
access to accurate and complete contact
information for passengers as they arrive
in the United States to conduct timely
public health follow up for anyone who
may have been exposed to EVD.
For the reasons described below, I am
hereby rescinding all requirements of
the Order pertaining to the DRC. All
requirements of the Order pertaining to
Guinea remain in effect.
Determination:
EVD is a rare and deadly disease in
people and nonhuman primates. People
can get EVD through direct contact with
an infected animal (bat or nonhuman
primate) or a sick or dead person
infected with Ebola virus. Signs and
symptoms of Ebola include fever, severe
headache, muscle pain, weakness,
fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach
pain, and unexplained bleeding. The
incubation period for Ebola, from
exposure to when signs or symptoms
appear, can be anywhere from 2 to 21
days. The average incubation period is
8 to 10 days.
On February 7, 2021, the Ministry of
Health (MOH) in the DRC announced
that an EVD case had been confirmed in
Biena Health Zone, North Kivu
Province. Subsequent cases were
confirmed. North Kivu was previously
affected by EVD during the 2018–2020
Ebola outbreak, the largest in the DRC’s
history; this outbreak was declared over
on June 25, 2020. Sequencing of
samples suggested that cases were
linked to cases in the area during the
2018–2020 outbreak and likely caused
by a persistent infection in a survivor
that led to either a relapse or sexual
transmission of the virus.
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23728
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 4, 2021 / Notices
Since March 1, 2021, there have been
no new confirmed EVD cases reported
in the DRC and all contacts of cases that
were being monitored for EVD have
passed the 21-day incubation period.
With no new cases reported in the past
42 days (2 incubation periods) no
remaining hospitalized patients with
EVD, and no contacts of confirmed EVD
cases still requiring monitoring, the
potential risk for Ebola virus exposure
in the DRC has greatly diminished.
Therefore, CDC no longer requires
contact information from passengers
who were departing from or were
otherwise present in the DRC.
For these reasons, I hereby determine
that airline travelers destined for the
United States who are departing from,
or were otherwise present in, the DRC
in the past 21 days are no longer at risk
of exposure to Ebola virus. Therefore, all
requirements of the Order pertaining to
airlines, aircraft operators, and
passengers destined for the United
States and departing from or who were
otherwise present in the DRC are hereby
rescinded.
All requirements of the March 2, 2021
Order pertaining to Guinea remain in
effect due to a recently confirmed case.
The most recent case of EVD in Guinea
was confirmed on April 3, 2021.
CDC may modify this Order by an
updated publication in the Federal
Register or by posting an advisory to
follow at www.cdc.gov.
In testimony whereof, the Director,
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, United States Department
for Health and Human Services, has
hereunto set her hand at Atlanta,
Georgia, this 29 day of April 2021.
Authority
The CDC Director is issuing this Order
pursuant to Sections 361 and 365 of the
Public Health Service (PHS) Act, 42
U.S.C. 264 and 268, and implementing
regulations at 42 CFR 71.4, 71.20, 71.31,
and 71.32.
Dated: April 30, 2021.
Sherri Berger,
Acting Chief of Staff, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021–09470 Filed 4–30–21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program
AGENCY
: Center for Consumer
Information and Insurance Oversight
(CCIIO), Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION
: Notice of a new matching
program.
SUMMARY
: In accordance with the
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the
Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing
notice of the re-establishment of a
computer matching program between
CMS and the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM), ‘‘Verification of
Eligibility of Minimum Essential
Coverage Under the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act through an
Office of Personnel Management Health
Benefit Plan.’’
DATES
: The deadline for comments on
this notice is June 3, 2021. The re-
established matching program will
commence not sooner than 30 days after
publication of this notice, provided no
comments are received that warrant a
change to this notice. The matching
program will be conducted for an initial
term of 18 months (from approximately
June 8, 2021 to December 7, 2022) and
within three months of expiration may
be renewed for one additional year if the
parties make no change to the matching
program and certify that the program
has been conducted in compliance with
the matching agreement.
ADDRESSES
: Interested parties may
submit comments:
1. Electronically. You may send your
comments electronically to http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for ‘‘Comment or
Submission’’ or ‘‘More Search Options’’
to find the information collection
document(s) that are accepting
comments.
2. By Regular Mail. You may mail
written comments to the following
address: Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Division of Security,
Privacy Policy & Governance,
Information Security & Privacy Group,
Office of Information Technology,
Location: N1–14–56, 7500 Security
Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
: If
you have questions about the matching
program, you may contact Anne Pesto,
Senior Advisor, Marketplace Eligibility
and Enrollment Group, Center for
Consumer Information and Insurance
Oversight, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, at 410–786–3492, by
email at anne.pesto@cms.hhs.gov, or by
mail at 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore,
MD 21244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: The
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5
U.S.C. 552a) provides certain
protections for individuals applying for
and receiving federal benefits. The law
governs the use of computer matching
by federal agencies when records in a
system of records (meaning, federal
agency records about individuals
retrieved by name or other personal
identifier) are matched with records of
other federal or non-federal agencies.
The Privacy Act requires agencies
involved in a matching program to:
1. Enter into a written agreement,
which must be prepared in accordance
with the Privacy Act, approved by the
Data Integrity Board of each source and
recipient federal agency, provided to
Congress and the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB), and made available
to the public, as required by 5 U.S.C.
552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
2. Notify the individuals whose
information will be used in the
matching program that the information
they provide is subject to verification
through matching, as required by 5
U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
3. Verify match findings before
suspending, terminating, reducing, or
making a final denial of an individual’s
benefits or payments or taking other
adverse action against the individual, as
required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(p).
4. Report the matching program to
Congress and the OMB, in advance and
annually, as required by 5 U.S.C.
552a(o)(2)(A)(i), (r), and (u)(3)(D).
5. Publish advance notice of the
matching program in the Federal
Register as required by 5 U.S.C.
552a(e)(12).
This matching program meets these
requirements.
Barbara Demopulos,
Privacy Officer, Division of Security, Privacy
Policy and Governance, Office of Information
Technology, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
Participating Agencies
The Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) is the
recipient agency, and the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM) is the
source agency.
Authority for Conducting the Matching
Program
The principal authority for
conducting the matching program is 42
U.S.C. 18001 et seq.
Purpose(s)
The purpose of the matching program
is to provide CMS with OPM data which
CMS and state Administering Entities
(AEs) need to determine individuals’
eligibility for financial assistance in
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