Getty A security personnel checks the temperature of passengers arriving in Shanghai, China.
The coronavirus, now known by its official name COVID-19 coronavirus, has so far killed more than 2,800 people worldwide, most of them in China. There are over 83,000 global cases in over 40 countries, with new cases being reported each day.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has put measures in place to try to prevent the spread of the virus to the U.S. This includes the screening of some passengers at a few different airports in the U.S.
In a statement about the situation, DHS Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf said that “While the overall risk to the American public remains low, funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers.”
11 Airports Are Set Up For Screening and Possible Quarantine of Passengers to the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set up 11 airports to manage the screening and quarantine process of at-risk passengers. Americans who have traveled to China in the past 14 days may have to go through a 14-day quarantine when they land in the U.S.
All flights from China and all passengers who have traveled to China in the past 14 days will be routed through 11 different U.S. airports that have been authorized and set up to handle enhanced screening and quarantine if required. This rerouting of flights will occur at no cost to the traveler, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is working with airlines to identify these flights and passengers before their flights to the U.S. to minimize travel disruptions.
These 11 airports are:
- 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
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan
Most Foreign Nationals Will Be Denied Entry if They Have Been to China Within 14 Days of Their Arrival
American citizens who have traveled to the Hubei province of China in the past 14 days will have to go through up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. American citizens who have traveled to the rest of mainland China in the past 14 days will receive a health screening and may be subjected to up to 14 days of self-quarantine and monitoring.
All foreign nationals, with the exception of immediate family members of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and flight crew, who have been to China in the past 14 days will be denied entry into the U.S.
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