The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it was implementing travel restrictions for visitors from West Africa in order to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.
Travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea — the three countries affected by the current outbreak — will be required to transit through New York’s JFK, Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago or Atlanta, according to DHS. Enhanced screening measures have been implemented at those airports, including taking passengers’ temperature.
“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. “If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.”
The travel restrictions go into effect Thursday.
Republicans will say that this is being done because of their efforts to ban “those people” from getting into the US.
Only 5 airports are capable of screening in the U.S… really? That’s the best we can do…
It’s all that is necessary.
Someone needs to amend the Chicken Little story to include the rest of the farm animals giving Chicken Little an epic, curbstomping, telescoping baton beatdown, complete with a rundown of his resulting internal injuries, after they all realize the sky isn’t gonna fall. Maybe then the lesson will stick.
I think this is a sensible enough precaution.