Houston not on list of US airports under new travel restrictions
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- With U.S. citizens, permanent legal residents, and their immediate family racing to get back to the country before the start of travel restrictions, the Trump administration made the new flight rules clearer, including announcing 13 airports as federally-approved ports of entries for anyone traveling from restricted countries.
Early Friday, airports across Europe were packed with travelers trying to beat a midnight ET deadline, prompted by rapidly spreading coronavirus. Pres. Trump made the announcement restricting travel from 26 countries in Europe, as well as Iran and China, for at least 30 days.
SEE MORE: Coronavirus in US: Trump clamps limits on travel from Europe to US for 30 days
The Department of Homeland Security says the following airports are the only ones that travelers from the restricted countries can travel to. Those airports are:
- Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS), Massachusetts
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Hawaii
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Georgia
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York
- Los Angeles International Airport, (LAX), California
- Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO), California
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Washington
- Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia
Upon arrival, travelers will proceed to standard customs processing. They will then continue to enhanced entry screening where the passenger will be asked about their medical history, current condition, and asked for contact information for local health authorities. Passengers will then be given written guidance about COVID-19 and directed to proceed to their final destination, and immediately home-quarantine in accordance with CDC best practices.
Most foreign citizens who have been in continental Europe in the 14 days before their scheduled U.S. arrival would be barred. The United Kingdom is exempted from the ban, along with Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Ukraine and several other European states.
As for Houston airports, the approved airports will affect direct flights from Europe to Bush Intercontinental Airport, which serves the bulk of those flights.
Though direct flights from Europe are out of the equation, Houston can still become a final destination. The Houston Airport Systems, though, told ABC13 they will not be doing any additional enhance screenings for people traveling back to Houston once they go through screening at the 13 airports. It added the CDC did not request the airports to screen.
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