On March 17, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published in the Federal Register a document notifying the public of certain arrival restrictions. The document announces the decision of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to direct all flights to the United States carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the countries of the Schengen Area to arrive at one of the United States airports where the United States Government is focusing public health resources. There are twenty-six countries in the Schengen Area: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. All flights carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, any of the countries of the Schengen Area only land at one of the following airports:
- 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;
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Massachusetts; and
- Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida.
Flights carrying cargo only are exempt. The document also modifies two notifications regarding decisions of the Secretary of DHS: To direct all flights to the United States carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the People’s Republic of China (excluding the Special Regions of Hong Kong and Macau) to arrive at one of the United States airports where the United States Government is focusing public health resources (effective February 2, 2020); and to direct all flights to the United States carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the Islamic Republic of Iran to arrive at one of the United States airports where the United States Government is focusing public health resources (effective March 2, 2020).
The document also adds two additional airports to the list of airports where flights subject to the arrival restrictions are permitted to land— Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Miami International Airport (MIA).
Flights departing after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, March 13, 2020, and covered by the arrival restrictions regarding the countries of the Schengen Area are required to land at one of the airports identified in this document. These arrival restrictions will continue until cancelled or modified by the Secretary of DHS and notification is published in the Federal Register of such cancellation or modification.
