DHS to tighten Ebola-related flight restrictions for some foreign travelers
The Department of Homeland Security is set to implement new entry restrictions beginning Thursday for foreign travelers coming to the U.S. from countries at the center of the latest Ebola outbreak.
According to a draft of a new DHS rule scheduled to be published Thursday, all U.S.-bound flights carrying foreign travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan at any point in the previous 21 days will be required to fly into Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The arrival restrictions, issued at the direction of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, are designed to funnel those travelers to an airport "where the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures," the rule states.
The rule applies only to passenger flights, DHS said, with cargo flights excluded from the restrictions.
In a statement provided to CBS News, a DHS spokesperson confirmed the new travel requirements, saying that "to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus spreading," Customs and Border Protection is "enhancing public health screening, travel monitoring, and health protection response activities."
The DHS spokesperson added that CBP was coordinating with "airlines, international partners and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus."