After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa a “public health emergency of international concern” last week, measures to limit the spread of the deadly disease are now in effect. Trip support provider Universal Weather and Aviation noted that the possibility of exposure now extends beyond flights originating in affected regions and, for operators, passenger travel history has now become a dispatch-critical planning variable.
All flights carrying any U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or preapproved excepted aliens who were in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days before their travel to the U.S. will be required to arrive at one of several specific major airports, where travelers may be subject to enhanced medical screening by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These airports include Washington Dulles (KIAD), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (KATL), Houston George Bush Intercontinental (KIAH), and New York City John F. Kennedy (KJFK).