Ebola travel restrictions imposed

Ebola travel restrictions imposed
By Elise Viebeck - 10-21-14 12:06 PM EDT

The Obama administration will require all travelers from countries affected by the Ebola epidemic to arrive at one of five major U.S. airports in order to undergo a health screening, officials announced Tuesday. 

The move by the Department of Homeland Security comes as lawmakers call for the government to take additional steps to ensure no one carries Ebola into the United States. 

The administration had previously instituted special Ebola screenings at five airports: Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare, New York John F. Kennedy, Newark New Jersey and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. 

Now, people arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will be required to travel through one of those ports-of-entry to ensure they undergo a health screening. The policy will take effect on Wednesday.

“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday.

“If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.”

Travelers arriving from West Africa are asked about possible exposure to Ebola and undergo a temperature check. Fever is one of Ebola's earliest symptoms, though it is not immediately present in those who contract the disease. 

Federal officials started screenings after a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, traveled to Dallas with a case of Ebola. He was not showing symptoms at the time, and died of the disease on Oct. 8. 

That case catapulted Ebola into national headlines and raised pressure on the administration to toughen its domestic response. 

Republicans have rallied around the idea of a flight ban from West Africa while the epidemic persists. The administration says it is not considering this move, arguing it would backfire and worsen the Ebola outbreak.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the administration’s decision.

“The advanced screening process currently in place at five major international airports provides an added layer of protection against Ebola entering our country,” he said in a statement.

“The Department of Homeland Security’s policy to funnel all passengers arriving from Ebola hotspots to one of these five equipped airports is a good and effective step towards tightening the net and further protecting our citizens.”