Ebola Update 2014: Obama Administration Orders Flight Restrictions from Guinea, Liberia, & Sierra Leone
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that all travelers from countries affected by the Ebola epidemic will be required to arrive at one of five major U.S. airports to undergo health screenings.
The policy will go into affect on Wednesday, reported The Hill.
Five major U.S. airports -- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare, New Jersey Newark, and New York John F. Kennedy -- are already conducting screenings. When passengers arrive, they are asked about possible exposure to Ebola, and undergo a temperature check.
The decision by the Department of Homeland Security comes less than a week after a Congressional hearing into the Administration's handling of the Ebola crisis, where several House Republicans called for a travel ban.
"We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption," said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
"If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed."
Johnson also said the Department of Homeland Security had measures to identify and screen anyone arriving by land, sea and airport entries into the U.S.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va, praised the decision by the Obama Administration, but said he would still would like an outright ban.
"President Obama has a real solution at his disposal under current law, and can use it at any time to temporarily ban foreign nations from entering the United State from Ebola-ravaged countries," Goodlatte told the Associated Press.
Concerns about travelers infected with Ebola increased when a Liberian man traveled from the region to Dallas. Thomas Eric Duncan became the first man in the United States diagnosed with Ebola. He died on Oct. 8, and two of the nurses who cared for him have since become infected with the disease.
There are no direct flights to the U.S. from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, although about 94 percent of the roughly 150 people traveling daily from the West Africa region arrive at the five designated airports.
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