Since March, travelers coming to the US from overseas were required to enter through one of 15 designated “screening airports,” where they would be screened for COVID-19. Now those health screenings are being terminated. Starting on September 14, international flights will no longer be rerouted through one of those 15 airports, and overseas arrivals won’t be required to undergo health screening measures, Yahoo News reported.
Photo: Wittaya Sunbu/Shutterstock
The US Will No Longer Be Screening International Arrivals for COVID-19 at Airports
According to the CDC, currently, all passengers coming from China (excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, the Schengen region of Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil are required to enter through a screening airport, where passengers are asked about their medical history and current health condition. Their contact information is also taken for contact tracing purposes. Up until last month, all passengers would then have to self-quarantine for 14 days; the CDC no longer requires it.
According to CNN, the rule change was implemented by the White House reportedly because of the 675,000 passengers screened over the past six months, fewer than 15 were found to have COVID-19. 